What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peru has the most expensive homes ($203k median).

Dickinson has the most people working from home (14.4%).

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	Dickinson
People
Population	6,710Highest	5,001Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.2%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.4%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.7±3.6Lowest about the NY average	42.7±3.3Highest 7% above NY
	Dickinson and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±3.4Highest NY: 20.5%	17.6%±3.9Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Peru and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±3.6Lowest NY: 17.9%	21.1%±4Highest NY: 17.9%
	Dickinson and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.2%Highest NY: 40.2%	32%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±5.4Highest NY: 7%	6.2%±1.2Lowest NY: 7%
	Peru and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,771±$22kHighest 18% above NY	$77,864±$14kLowest 9% below NY
	Peru and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$203,200±$38kHighest 52% below NY	$147,400±$17kLowest 65% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,067±$173Highest 34% below NY	$941±$68Lowest 42% below NY
	Peru and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,357Highest 34% below NY	$3,523Lowest 46% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.8%±25.3Highest NY: 52.1%	35.8%±13.8Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Peru and Dickinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest NY: 14%	8.5%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Highest NY: 54.3%	75.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 17 yrs newer than NY	1952Lowest 7 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 37% below NY	17 minLowest 48% below NY
Work from home	10.2%±4.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	14.4%±5.9Highest NY: 14.9%
	Dickinson and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#347 of 484 in NY	—
School district	PERU CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	CHENANGO VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	PERU HIGH SCHOOL	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.