What stands out worked out from the figures below

Derby has the highest household income ($80k).

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

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	Appleton
People
Population	4,537Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.6±2.1Highest 33% above U.S.	49.2±7.4Lowest 26% above U.S.
	Derby and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Derby and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26.1%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Derby and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Appleton and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,250±$8kHighest about the U.S. average	$53,618±$19kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$225,000±$10kLowest 32% below U.S.	$235,600±$33kHighest 29% below U.S.
	Appleton and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$118Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,104±$82Highest 22% below U.S.
	Appleton and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,449Lowest 11% above U.S.	$3,588Highest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.8%±18.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 23% above U.S.	30 minLowest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	10.6%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Appleton 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	#52 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Derby School District · North Country Union Junior High School District	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.