What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westminster has the most people working from home (27%).

Peru has the highest household income ($102k).

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	Westminster	Peru
People
Population	2,999Lowest	6,710Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.5±3.7Highest 38% above U.S.	40.7±3.6Lowest 5% above U.S.
Kids under 18	18.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Peru and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.6%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.3%±5.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Peru and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,491±$4kLowest 11% below U.S.	$101,771±$22kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$273,800±$35kHighest 18% below U.S.	$203,200±$38kLowest 39% below U.S.
	Westminster and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$916±$126Lowest 35% below U.S.	$1,067±$173Highest 24% below U.S.
	Peru and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,063Lowest 30% above U.S.	$4,357Highest 40% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.2%±7.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.8%±25.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Peru and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.
Work from home	27%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#53 of 70 in VT	#347 of 484 in NY
School district	Bellows Falls Union High School District #27 · Westminster School District	PERU CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Bellows Falls Union High School	PERU HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	11.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.