What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Milton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

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	Milton
People
Population	6,710Lowest	10,769Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.7±3.6Lowest 5% above U.S.	41.6±2.5Highest 7% above U.S.
	Milton 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 U.S.: 22%	17.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Peru and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Milton 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 U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±5.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Peru and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,771±$22kLowest 26% above U.S.	$118,977±$10kHighest 47% above U.S.
	Milton and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$203,200±$38kLowest 39% below U.S.	$372,500±$20kHighest 12% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,067±$173Lowest 24% below U.S.	$1,536±$257Highest 9% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,357Lowest 40% above U.S.	$5,610Highest 80% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.8%±25.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	53.1%±20.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Peru and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	10.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Milton 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	#56 of 70 in VT
School district	PERU CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Milton School District
High school in town	PERU HIGH SCHOOL	Milton Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Highest	9.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.