What stands out worked out from the figures below

West Burke has the most people working from home (20%).

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	West Burke	Peru
People
Population	161Lowest	434Highest
Median age	59.2±16.3Highest 37% above VT	45.3±8.6Lowest 5% above VT
	West Burke and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.8%±10.4Highest VT: 17.9%	8.5%±5.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	West Burke and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.1%±13.2Highest VT: 21.4%	21.4%±5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	West Burke and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	54.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±3.3Highest VT: 7%	1.8%±3.2Lowest VT: 7%
	West Burke and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$27,321±$15kLowest 66% below VT	$151,875±$83kHighest 87% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$275,000±$60kLowest 13% below VT	$400,000±$105kHighest 26% above VT
	Peru and West Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$525±$373Lowest 57% below VT	$1,271±$820Highest about the VT average
	Peru and West Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,194Lowest 37% below VT	$5,000Highest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.8%±31.3Highest VT: 48.4%	29%±47.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	West Burke and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.5%Highest VT: 10.1%	1.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%	79%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% above VT	28 minHighest 19% above VT
Work from home	20%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%	13.3%±16.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	West Burke 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.