What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Scituate has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.5%).

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	Scituate
People
Population	12,487Highest	10,517Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±3.1Lowest 19% above U.S.	49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S.
	Scituate and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	14.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Scituate and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Scituate and Derby 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 U.S.: 35.7%	34.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Derby and Scituate 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 about the U.S. average	$112,315±$23kHighest 39% above U.S.
	Scituate and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,700±$21kLowest 23% below U.S.	$449,300±$26kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,452±$95Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,489±$251Highest 5% above U.S.
	Scituate and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,510Highest 77% above U.S.	$5,265Lowest 69% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.9%±12.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Highest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Derby and Scituate 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	#17 of 38 in RI
School district	Derby School District	Scituate
High school in town	Derby High School	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	10.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.