What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peru has the shortest commute (29 min average).

Sumner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.9%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Peru	Sumner
People
Population	1,501Highest	845Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	48±7.6Lowest 7% above ME	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME
	Sumner and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±4Highest ME: 18.1%	17.2%±6.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Peru and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.7%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.7%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4%
	Sumner and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Peru and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,827±$19kHighest 11% below ME	$57,750±$19kLowest 23% below ME
	Peru and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$141,300±$38kLowest 52% below ME	$150,000±$73kHighest 49% below ME
	Sumner and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$723±$16 37% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,799Lowest 41% below ME	$2,167Highest 29% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.7%±37.5Lowest ME: 48.4%	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	91.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME	1977Highest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 18% above ME	42 minHighest 72% above ME
Work from home	9.2%±4Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sumner and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 56	RSU 10
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.