What stands out worked out from the figures below

Derry has the most affordable homes ($432k median).

Groton has the highest household income ($193k).

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	Groton
People
Population	34,116Highest	11,390Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.3±1.6Lowest 4% above U.S.	41.4±2.7Highest 6% above U.S.
	Groton and Derry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	28.3%±4.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.3%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Groton and Derry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	70.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Derry and Groton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,944±$7kLowest 35% above U.S.	$192,958±$27kHighest 139% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$432,000±$17kLowest 30% above U.S.	$743,400±$46kHighest 123% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,547±$138Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,458±$335Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Derry and Groton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,103Lowest 160% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.8%±17Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Derry and Groton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 17% above U.S.	32 minHighest 22% above U.S.
Work from home	16%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.5%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#60 of 120 in NH	#39 of 282 in MA
School district	Derry Cooperative School District · Pinkerton Academy School District	Groton-Dunstable
High school in town	Pinkerton Academy	Groton Dunstable Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	13.9Highest	13.7Lowest
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.