Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Derby is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 57th of 71 in Vermont, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 52% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $80K, and 7% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $307K, 4.4 years of the county’s $70K median household income. Derby has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Derby House Hotel and L.P. Jenne Block. Among 71 Vermont towns, just 2 have a lower July high than Derby. Eagle Point Wildlife Management Area, at 439 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Derby beats most towns.
Census counts: 178 in 1800, a low of 178 in 1800, 4,579 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 4 maps from 1919 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Derby takes its name from Derby in Derbyshire, England, 3,120 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionDerby, settled in 1779, takes its name from Derby, a city in Derbyshire, England.
2 more U.S. towns are named after Derby:Derby, CT12,925Derby, CO8,453
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Derby is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Derby, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Derby.
Derby gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Vermont; it also has commutes longer than most of Vermont.
On this, Derby is against 14% in Vermont’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. 25 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Derby | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eagle Point Wildlife Management Area | 1.3 mi | 439 |
| 2. Derby Town Forest | — | 397 |
| 3. Derby Center Village Forest | — | 80 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Derby School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derby Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 485 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1994, 28 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Derby.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
85% of households own their home in Derby, above both Vermont’s towns (75%) and U.S. towns (73%). The typical Derby home is worth about $307,000, up 4.2% in a year, 22% below the Vermont typical home.
| Derby | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,096 a month | $1,137 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Newport weather station records that 99 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.3°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 5.5°.
Derby has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The January low in Derby is 6°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,995 working residents takes 32.4 minutes, against 23.5 across Vermont.
About one in 4 of Derby’s working residents works in town. Derby’s average trip to work is 32 minutes. Jobs based in Derby grew to 2,406 in 2023, 513 more than in 2013.
| Derby | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 16% | 8% |
| Work from home | 11% | 15% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 9.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 27% of residents (22% statewide). 16% of Derby residents are under 18. Only 5 of the 71 Vermont towns we compare have a higher median age than Derby.
| Derby | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.6 years | 43.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 22% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 16% | 19% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 40% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.1 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Derby | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.4% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.3% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.7% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.3% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.1% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.5% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.8% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.4% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.9% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.1% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.3% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.8% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.9% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.9% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,500, single groups can be off by several points
Within Vermont it is less healthy than 94% of the 71 graded towns: Vermont sets a high bar.
15% of adults report frequent physical distress in Derby. Derby beats the Vermont average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 34% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Derby.
| Derby | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Derby | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.5% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 19.5% | 14.5% |
| More smokers | 14.9% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Derby. Close and well known come first.
4 mi TheatreHaskell Free Library and Opera House
14 mi LakeLake Willoughby
19 mi Ski areaJay Peak Resort79 runs · 1,988 ft vertical
28 mi Ski areaBurke Mountain Resort61 runs · 1,990 ft vertical
37 mi PlanetariumFairbanks Museum and Planetarium22 mi MuseumThe Museum of Everyday LifeHaskell Free Library and Opera House: Thomsonmg2000, CC0 · Lake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jay Peak Resort: Hanumanix at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Burke Mountain Resort: Patrick McCaffrey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Derby; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Derby residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
4 places in Derby on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Derby.
Town in Vermont, United States
Derby is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,579 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous community in Orleans County. The town contains four unincorporated villages: Beebe Plain, Clyde Pond, Lake Salem, and North Derby, and two incorporated villages: Derby Center and Derby Line. The northernmost town located along Interstate 91, the Town of Derby encompasses the largest area in Orleans County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Derby.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derby | #57 | C− | C+ | — | C | B− |
| Newport | #69 | D | C+ | C− | C | C |
| Charleston | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Holland | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Newport | #55 | C− | C+ | — | C | B+ |
| Brownington | — | — | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Coventry | — | — | B+ | — | C | C+ |
Brownington and Coventry have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Derby, Newport, Brownington and Coventry report no FBI crime data of their own. Charleston and Holland aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Derby with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Derby grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #57 of 71 in Vermont. It grades B− for health and C for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
10 notable people were born here, including Charles Kendall Adams and William Tyler.
