Community & Data
Demographics
A Portrait of Peru
Peru sits on the Berkshire plateau in the far west of the state, spread across about 26 square miles of hills and forest, and it is an older and smaller town than most in the Commonwealth: about one resident in four is 65 or over. Nearly all of its homes are owner-occupied, households average 2.3 people, and very few of its residents were born outside the United States. Figures below are from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Follow the source links for the latest.
Key Figures
Sources: US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).
Population & Households
- Population (2020 Census): 814
- Households: 277
- Persons per household: 2.3
- Foreign-born: 1.6% of residents
- Age 65 and over: 25.4%
- Under 18: 14.7%
Race & Ethnicity
- White: 94.9%
- Asian: 1.9%
- Black or African American: 0.0%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race): 0.5%
- Two or more races: 2.9%
- Speak a language other than English at home: 2.4%
Economy & Housing
- Median household income: $83,125
- Poverty rate: 4.6%
- Median home value: $255,400
- Veterans: 7.8% of adults
- Homeownership: 98.6% of units
- In the labor force: 66.4%
Registered Voters
Massachusetts publishes voter-registration counts by town through the Secretary of the Commonwealth; the counts below are the state’s enrollment snapshot from February 1, 2025. As in most of the state, Peru’s largest bloc by far is voters who choose no party at all.
- Total registered: 687
- Unenrolled (no party): 479 (69.72%)
- Democrats: 135 (19.65%)
- Republicans: 62 (9.02%)
Sources
See how Peru fits into the broader Commonwealth.