Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Peru gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $153K for a typical one, or 2.5 years of the Peru area’s $61K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 375th of 585 in Indiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $46K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Peru, above both Indiana’s towns (10%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 1 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns score lower on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include Shirk-Edwards House and Brownell Block/Senger Dry Goods Company Building.
Where Peru beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 1,266 in 1850, 11,073 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Peru is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Peru.
Peru is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Indiana (mostly inland flooding) and has poverty well above the Indiana rate.
5.5 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The trail density in Peru is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is West City Park, at 27 acres.
| Peru | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Maconaquah Park | 0.5 mi | 23 |
| 2. West City Park | 0.3 mi | 27 |
| 3. Peru River Walkway | — | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 4,398 U.S. towns with household incomes like Peru’s, it is less healthy than 79%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
46% of adults have obesity in Peru. Peru beats the Indiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Peru.
| Peru | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 39% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Peru | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.4% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.6% | 8.1% |
| More smokers | 21% | 15.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 55 to 18 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
Peru’s property crime rate is 1 per 1,000 residents.
| Peru | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 8.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 100% of Indiana towns, with expected losses of about $400 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
No town among the 592 in Indiana we compare has a higher FEMA risk score than Peru. Since 1982, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Peru.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median property tax bill is $676, against $1,614 across Indiana, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Typical home values rose 8.1% in the year to September 2026.
| Peru | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $826 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 76% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Peru has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 21 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 4,763 in 2013 to 3,791.
About one in 4 of Peru’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Peru fell to 3,791 in 2023, 972 fewer than in 2013. 4.9% of Peru workers work from home.
| Peru | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 4.9% | 7.8% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Peru; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Peru residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
1.8% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
8 places in Peru on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Peru.
Town in Indiana
Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, United States. It is 73 miles (117 km) north of Indianapolis. The population was 11,073 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous community in Miami County. Peru is located along the Wabash River and is part of the Kokomo-Peru Combined Statistical Area. Residents of Peru usually pronounce the name of Peru like the name of the nation of Peru as it is commonly pronounced in American English. Elderly Hoosiers commonly use the archaic pronunciation of PEE-roo.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Peru.
| Town | IN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peru · Peru Township | #375 | B− | A | A | B− | D |
| Washington Township | #564 | D | A | — | C | D |
| Pipe Creek Township | #517 | C− | A− | — | C | D |
Washington Township and Pipe Creek Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Peru Township and Peru are one community, graded once. Compare Peru with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Peru grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #375 of 585 in Indiana. It grades D for health, A for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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 A.
11 notable people were born here, including Cole Porter and Bob Gibbs.
