What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Waltham has the most people working from home (20.6%).

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	Waltham
People
Population	434Lowest	452Highest
Median age	45.3±8.6Lowest 5% above VT	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT
	Waltham 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%	12.8%±7.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Waltham 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%	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.3%Highest VT: 43.8%	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±3.2Lowest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Waltham 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	$97,500±$14kLowest 20% above VT
	Peru and Waltham 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	$329,700±$51kLowest 4% above VT
	Peru and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,271±$820Highest about the VT average	$1,096±$113Lowest 11% below VT
	Peru and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,000Lowest about the VT average	$5,714Highest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29%±47.8Lowest VT: 48.4%	29.2%±58.6Highest VT: 48.4%
	Waltham 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%	5.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 5 yrs newer than VT	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 19% above VT	28 minLowest 18% above VT
Work from home	13.3%±16.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Waltham and Peru 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.