Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Peru gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $183K for a typical one, or 2.5 years of the Ottawa area’s $72K median household income. It grades B overall, 387th among Illinois's 767 graded towns. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 23% of working residents work locally in Peru, above both Illinois’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). Peru has 1 place on the National Register. The biggest place to walk is Baker Park, 65 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
Where Peru beats most towns.
Where Peru’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Peru is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,279 in 1850, 9,896 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Peru, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Peru.
Peru carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Illinois (mostly inland flooding) and draws workers from LaSalle and beyond.
7,744 jobs are based in Peru, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.8 minutes, against 27.8 across Illinois.
About one in 4 of Peru’s working residents works in town. Peru’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. Jobs based in Peru grew to 7,744 in 2023, 484 more than in 2013.
| Peru | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5.4% | 11% | 11% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 96% of Illinois towns, with expected losses of about $205 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Peru is 13 of 100. Since 1979, 45 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Peru.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Typical home values rose 6.3% in the year to September 2026.
| Peru | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $921 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 75% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2.6 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves.
| Peru | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Baker Park | 1.2 mi | 65 |
| 2. Washington Park | — | 12 |
| 3. Centennial Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Peru has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 15° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Peru beats the Illinois average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 37% of Peru adults have high blood pressure.
| Peru | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Peru | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.2% | 13.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.6% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Peru
About 4 of every 100 Peru residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
9 notable people were born in Peru.
City in Illinois, United States
Peru is a city in LaSalle and Bureau counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,896 at the 2020 census, down from 10,295 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Peru and its twin city, LaSalle, make up the core of Illinois Valley.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Peru.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peru · Peru Township | #387 | B | B+ | C+ | B− | B |
| LaSalle | #438 | B | B | A | C | C+ |
| Dalzell | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LaSalle Township | #600 | C | B+ | — | C− | B− |
| Dimmick Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
LaSalle Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Dalzell and Dimmick Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Peru Township and Peru are one community, graded once. Compare Peru with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Peru grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #387 of 767 in Illinois. It grades B for health, C+ for safety and B− for schools.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
9 notable people were born here, including Zez Confrey and J. A. Happ.