What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Needham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Needham
People
Population	34,116Highest	32,459Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.3±1.6Lowest 4% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
	Needham 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%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Needham 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%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Derry and Needham 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.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$432,000±$17kLowest 30% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,547±$138Lowest 9% above U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
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%±9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and Derry 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%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 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%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#60 of 120 in NH	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Derry Cooperative School District · Pinkerton Academy School District	Needham
High school in town	Pinkerton Academy	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.9Highest	11.9Lowest
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.