What stands out worked out from the figures below

Derry has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

Chester has the most affordable homes ($233k median).

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	Derry	Chester
People
Population	34,116Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.3±1.6Lowest 4% above U.S.	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.7%±2.1Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Derry and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±7.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Derry and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,944±$7kHighest 35% above U.S.	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$432,000±$17kHighest 30% above U.S.	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,547±$138Highest 9% above U.S.	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,103Highest 160% above U.S.	$4,262Lowest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	16%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±6.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Derry and Chester 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	#60 of 120 in NH	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Derry Cooperative School District · Pinkerton Academy School District	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Pinkerton Academy	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.9Highest	8.7Lowest
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.