Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Peru Township’s average trip to work is 19 minutes, where Illinois’ towns sit at 26 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Baker Park, at 66 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. We don’t grade Peru Township yet; the figures below are still real.
Where Peru Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,279 in 1850, 9,896 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1866 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Peru Township, 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 Township.
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Peru Township than in three quarters of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 50 flood insurance claims have been paid out here. Expected losses in Peru Township break down as 51% from inland flooding and 28% from cold waves.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Below: Two of its 10 schools, each with why it was picked. The public schools here belong to Peru ESD 124. The 2 public schools in Peru Township teach 966 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northview Elem SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 594 | B+ |
| La Salle-Peru Area Career CtrLargest public high schoolGrades 11–12 | Grades 11–12 | – | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 15°, with about 29 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Peru Township, a fifth of working residents work locally, above both Illinois’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). Peru Township: 5.3% of workers work from home. Employers in Peru Township shed 486 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 6,558. The top destinations are Peru (22%), LaSalle (11%) and Ottawa (5%).
| Peru Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 5.3% | 11% | 11% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among adults in Peru Township, 37% have high blood pressure. CDC measures, 32 in all: Peru Township beats Illinois on 6 and trails on 5. Two figures for adults locally: 12% have diabetes, 14% report frequent physical distress.
| Peru Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Peru Township | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.3% | 13.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.8% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4.9 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. For Peru Township, the concentration of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Peru Township | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 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 | 66 |
| 2. Washington Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Centennial Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Peru Township
About 4 of every 100 Peru Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
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)
7 towns share a border with Peru Township.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peru Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LaSalle Township | #600 | C | B+ | — | C− | B− |
| Dimmick Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LaSalle | #438 | B | B | A | C | C+ |
| Peru | #387 | B | B+ | C+ | B− | B |
| Eden Township | — | — | A− | — | C | B− |
| Spring Valley | #484 | B− | A− | B+ | C− | C |
| Hall Township | #539 | C+ | A− | — | C− | C |
Eden Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. LaSalle Township, Eden Township and Hall Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Peru Township and Dimmick Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Peru Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
We don’t grade Peru Township yet; the figures below are still real.