Peru ranks #16 in Indiana for affordability
Peru is ranked on 34 lists against the 602 Indiana towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 6.
The lists Peru does best on
Each list ranks every IN town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Peru marked.
Peru lands in the top half on 8 of 20 lists
Each dot is Peru’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IN, the right end is last. Areas where Peru does best come first.
More vacation homes than 87% of Indiana
Not better or worse, just Peru’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 25 for low property taxes
Lists where Peru sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Peru out-ranks 0 of its 2 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every IN list, and where Peru lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Cost of living
C Most affordable#1 Country Squire Lakes · 0.4 yrs #16
Cheapest rent#1 Madison · $537/mo
#138
Lowest property tax#1 Grissom AFB · $199/yr
#26
Rent easiest to afford#1 Vernon · 21.3%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Washington · 49.8%
#285
Most trails#1 Winona Lake · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#25
Most walkable#1 Bicknell · 197 / sq mi
#41 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Notre Dame · 10.4 min
#218 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Jamestown · 39%
#81
Most new homes#1 Whitestown · 44.0 per 1,000
#59
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Logan · +90.9%
#302
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Speedway · 35.1 per home
Health
Healthiest#1 Carmel · 96 / 100
#572
Lowest obesity#1 Notre Dame · 25%
#582
Fewest smokers#1 Carmel · 8%
#548
Most active#1 Carmel · 15%
#536
Fewest uninsured#1 Zionsville · 4%
#435
Lowest depression#1 East Chicago · 19%
#510
Closest to a top hospital#1 East Chicago · 0.1 mi
#368 People
Most educated#1 Notre Dame · 79.5%
#446
Youngest#1 Notre Dame · 20.3
#399
Oldest#1 Clay · 58.6
#203
Most residents 65+#1 Jamestown · 35.8%
#252
Most kids#1 Van Buren · 45.1%
#232 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Michigan City · 65 in
#299
Least snow#1 Jeffersonville · 4.3 in
#295
Mildest winters#1 Tell City · 25.5°
#313
Hottest summers#1 Pigeon · 88.4°
#218
Coolest summers#1 Michigan City · 82.2°
#334
Longest growing season#1 Jeffersonville · 225 days
#286
Wettest#1 Ferdinand · 51 in
#362 Safety
Safest#1 St. John · 2.5
The number on the right is Peru’s spot. All of Indiana’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every IN list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.