What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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

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	Waltham	Peru
People
Population	452Highest	434Lowest
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT	45.3±8.6Lowest 5% 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	12.8%±7.4Highest VT: 17.9%	8.5%±5.9Lowest 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+	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%	21.4%±5Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%	54.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	1.8%±3.2Lowest 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	$97,500±$14kLowest 20% above VT	$151,875±$83kHighest 87% 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	$329,700±$51kLowest 4% above VT	$400,000±$105kHighest 26% 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	$1,096±$113Lowest 11% below VT	$1,271±$820Highest about the VT average
	Peru and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,714Highest 13% above VT	$5,000Lowest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Highest VT: 48.4%	29%±47.8Lowest 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	5.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	1.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	79%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT	1981Lowest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 18% above VT	28 minHighest 19% above VT
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%	13.3%±16.4Lowest 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.