What stands out worked out from the figures below

Derby has the most affordable homes ($225k median).

Lyme has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.7%).

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	Lyme
People
Population	4,537Highest	1,710Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.6±2.1Highest 33% above U.S.	48.6±7.8Lowest 25% above U.S.
	Derby and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.5%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lyme and Derby 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%	26.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Derby and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	70.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lyme 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±$8kLowest about the U.S. average	$133,906±$15kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$225,000±$10kLowest 32% below U.S.	$645,000±$64kHighest 94% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$118Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,418±$130Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,449Lowest 11% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.8%±18.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±29.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lyme and Derby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 23% above U.S.	21 minLowest 21% below U.S.
Work from home	10.6%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.2%±5.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
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	Lyme School District
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.