What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peru has the most people working from home (13.3%).

Ira has the most affordable homes ($273k 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	Ira
People
Population	434Highest	381Lowest
Median age	45.3±8.6Lowest 5% above VT	54.1±5.5Highest 26% above VT
	Ira 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%	10.5%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	Ira and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±5Lowest VT: 21.4%	28.9%±3.3Highest VT: 21.4%
	Ira and Peru 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%	37.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±3.2Lowest VT: 7%	3.4%±3.5Highest VT: 7%
	Ira 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	$71,827±$5kLowest 12% below VT
	Peru and Ira 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	$272,900±$18kLowest 14% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,271±$820Highest about the VT average	$942±$52Lowest 24% below VT
	Peru and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,000Highest about the VT average	$4,146Lowest 18% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29%±47.8Lowest VT: 48.4%	36.4%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	Ira and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.4%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest VT: 73.2%	90.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1975Lowest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 19% above VT	28 minHighest 20% above VT
Work from home	13.3%±16.4Highest VT: 16.9%	2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Peru and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.