What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most kids (17.5% under 18).

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	Windham	Peru
People
Population	594Highest	434Lowest
Median age	44.2±7.4Lowest about the VT average	45.3±8.6Highest 5% above VT
	Peru and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±7.9Highest VT: 17.9%	8.5%±5.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Windham and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.2%±8.1Highest VT: 21.4%	21.4%±5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Windham and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	54.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±1.1Lowest VT: 7%	1.8%±3.2Highest VT: 7%
	Peru and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,500±$12kLowest 16% above VT	$151,875±$83kHighest 87% above VT
	Peru and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,900±$20kLowest 12% above VT	$400,000±$105kHighest 26% above VT
	Peru and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,271±$820 about the VT average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,951Highest 18% above VT	$5,000Lowest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±94Highest VT: 48.4%	29%±47.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Windham and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.9%Highest VT: 10.1%	1.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	79%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT	1981Lowest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 14% above VT	28 minHighest 19% above VT
Work from home	20.5%±5.6Highest VT: 16.9%	13.3%±16.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Windham 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.