What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peru has the highest household income ($152k).

Maidstone has the most people working from home (24.5%).

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	Maidstone
People
Population	434Highest	241Lowest
Median age	45.3±8.6Lowest 5% above VT	61.3±8.2Highest 42% above VT
	Maidstone 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%	12.4%±11.8Highest VT: 17.9%
	Maidstone 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%	39.4%±3.9Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.3%Highest VT: 43.8%	28.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±3.2Lowest VT: 7%	3.3%±3.4Highest VT: 7%
	Maidstone 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	$85,833±$32kLowest 6% above VT
	Peru and Maidstone are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$105kLowest 26% above VT	$438,200±$81kHighest 38% above VT
	Maidstone and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,271±$820 about the VT average	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,000Highest about the VT average	$3,914Lowest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29%±47.8Highest VT: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Peru and Maidstone 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%	2.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest VT: 73.2%	97.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1971Lowest 5 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 19% above VT	29 minHighest 25% above VT
Work from home	13.3%±16.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	24.5%±15.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Maidstone and Peru 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.