Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Derry gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $129K, 1.7 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income. It grades A overall, 248th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $50K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Derry, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (7.6%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Derry's schools outperform 69% of the state's.
Where Derry beats most towns.
Where Derry’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Derry is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 755 in 1880, a peak of 3,752 in 1950, 2,639 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Derry, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Derry.
Derry is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
At 5.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 76% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
Derry recorded no violent offenses. Its property crime rate is 6.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Derry | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.6 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Compared with 82% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Derry is lower. 85% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. One flood insurance claim has been paid here since 2002.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Derry’s average commute is 23 minutes. Just 4% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. It had 402 jobs in 2023, up 251 from 2013. Half the trips to work are shorter than 13 miles.
| Derry | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expect July afternoons of 83° and January nights of 21°, with about 48 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 5,904 U.S. towns with household incomes like Derry’s, it is healthier than 85%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in Derry, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 41%. Among adults here, 18% smoke cigarettes and 26% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Derry | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Derry | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.4% | 15.8% |
| More adults with arthritis | 34.8% | 30.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In 3 parks and preserves, walkers have 0.5 miles of trail. Derry’s density of trails comes in at 0.6 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves here: 3, covering 24 acres.
| Derry | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Ethel Natural Area | 0.2 mi | 19 |
| 2. Derry Community Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
| 3. Mossback Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 1.7 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 94% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,500, against $3,311 across Pennsylvania, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Among households in Derry, 70% are owner-occupiers.
| Derry | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $635 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 78% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Derry. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi MuseumFallingwater
Big draw28 mi National MemorialFlight 93 National Memorial286K visitors a year
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
30 mi Theme parkKennywood
38 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
38 mi Stadium & arenaPNC ParkFallingwater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Flight 93 National Memorial: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Acrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · Fort Duquesne: Sébastien Paquin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PNC Park: alpineinc, CC BY 2.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Derry
About 3 of every 100 Derry residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
4 notable people were born in Derry.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
There are also four Derry Townships in Pennsylvania. Derry is a borough in Westmoreland County in Pennsylvania, 45 miles (72 km) east of Pittsburgh. The Borough of Derry, consisting of the town area, should not be confused with Derry Township, which is a separate municipality surrounding the borough. The population was 2,637 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Derry grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns and #248 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health, A for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $129,000, 55% below the Pennsylvania typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
4 notable people were born here, including Herbert Boyer and James Patterson.
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