What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peru has the most expensive homes ($400k median).

Baltimore has the most affordable homes ($219k median).

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	Baltimore
People
Population	434Highest	361Lowest
Median age	45.3±8.6Lowest 5% above VT	51.2±10.3Highest 19% above VT
	Baltimore and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	8.5%±5.9Lowest VT: 17.9%	8.9%±6.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	Baltimore and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±5Highest VT: 21.4%	14.7%±4.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Peru and Baltimore are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.3%Highest VT: 43.8%	25.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±3.2Lowest VT: 7%	2.2%±2.7Highest VT: 7%
	Baltimore and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$151,875±$83kHighest 87% above VT	$107,500±$16kLowest 32% above VT
	Peru and Baltimore are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$105kHighest 26% above VT	$219,400±$27kLowest 31% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,271±$820 about the VT average	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,000Highest about the VT average	$4,329Lowest 14% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29%±47.8Highest VT: 48.4%	26.7%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Peru and Baltimore are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	1.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest VT: 73.2%	85.8%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1977Lowest 1 yr newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 19% above VT	21 minLowest 11% below VT
Work from home	13.3%±16.4Highest VT: 16.9%	9.8%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Peru and Baltimore are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT 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.