What stands out worked out from the figures below

Derby has the most affordable homes ($257k median).

Ashford has the highest household income ($122k).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Derby	Ashford
People
Population	12,487Highest	4,226Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.5% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	46.4±3.1Highest 13% above CT	37.9±10.3Lowest 8% below CT
	Derby and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±2.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.5%±5.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	Ashford and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±3.9Highest CT: 18.5%	18.9%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Derby and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	35.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±2Highest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Derby and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,500±$11kLowest 17% below CT	$121,926±$23kHighest 27% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,700±$21kLowest 30% below CT	$334,800±$18kHighest 9% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,452±$95Highest about the CT average	$1,246±$208Lowest 16% below CT
	Derby and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,510Lowest 17% below CT	$6,982Highest 5% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.9%±12.6Highest CT: 52.6%	47%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Derby and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Highest CT: 10%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%	76.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest same as CT	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the CT average	34 minHighest 30% above CT
Work from home	15.1%±4.8Lowest CT: 16%	19.3%±5.5Highest CT: 16%
	Ashford and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#138 of 149 in CT	#90 of 149 in CT
School district	Derby School District	Ashford School District
High school in town	Derby High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.