What stands out worked out from the figures below

Washington has the most expensive homes ($371k median).

Peru has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.9%).

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	Washington	Peru
People
Population	526Lowest	630Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	-3.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	56.5±7.7Highest 41% above MA	52.6±4.8Lowest 32% above MA
	Washington and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.3%±5.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	16.3%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Peru and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.4%±1.5Highest MA: 17.9%	29.7%±6.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Washington and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	28%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.2%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
	Peru and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,278±$12kHighest 8% below MA	$90,750±$18kLowest 13% below MA
	Washington and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$370,700±$32kHighest 34% below MA	$267,400±$15kLowest 52% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,381Highest 27% below MA	$3,805Lowest 36% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 MA: 51.8%	0%±100 MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest MA: 10%	3.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	98.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 10 yrs newer than MA	1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 13% below MA	31 minHighest 7% above MA
Work from home	12.9%±10.3Highest MA: 18.6%	10.3%±4.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Washington 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

MA 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.