Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety74#4,066/15,637
Economy41#9,275/15,631
Housing12#13,127/14,977
Health69#4,823/15,609
Healthcare79#3,342/15,650
Environment26#11,392/15,453
Education59#6,379/15,649
Infrastructure46#8,463/15,650
Community41#9,239/15,651
Leisure & amenities51#7,664/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Derby, Connecticut ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Naugatuck Valley Planning Region value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Firearm deaths · low4.4 /100k
90/100Connecticut 4.5 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Model-based estimateProvisional dataNaugatuck Valley Planning Region value
Suicide rate · low9.7 /100k
85/100Connecticut 10.1 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Provisional dataNaugatuck Valley Planning Region value
Distance to an emergency room · low3.9 mi
81/100Connecticut 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesNaugatuck Valley Planning Region value
Flu vaccinations · high51.9%
81/100Connecticut 52.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Naugatuck Valley Planning Region value
Public EV charging ports · high9.5 /10k
80/100Connecticut 13.4 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyNaugatuck Valley Planning Region value
Violent crime rate · low120 /100k
79/100Connecticut 110 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureNaugatuck Valley Planning Region value

Weaknesses

Child care cost burden · high45.4%
2/100Connecticut 39.8%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Naugatuck Valley Planning Region value
High ozone days · high11 days
5/100Connecticut 10 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Naugatuck Valley Planning Region value
Effective property tax rate · high2.01%
7/100Connecticut 1.54%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Days with unhealthy air · high3.5%
11/100Connecticut 3.5%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Naugatuck Valley Planning Region value
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100Connecticut 1.8 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Social associations · low6.3 /10k
14/100Connecticut 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNaugatuck Valley Planning Region value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedWorsening
0.6 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
20.2% (2015-2019) → 35.6% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.2% (2015-2019) → 90.2% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
19.8% (2015-2019) → 9.4% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$56,357 (2015-2019) → $79,500 (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
59.6% (2015-2019) → 53.9% (2020-2024)
−5.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Derby, Connecticut improved on 4 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Bachelor's++15 points20.2% → 35.6%
Unemployment−4.8 points10.4% → 5.6%
Broadband+15 points75.2% → 90.2%
Household income+41%$56,357 → $79,500

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Derby, Connecticut between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.4 min2015-2019	26.9 min2020-2024	−0.5 min	Within the margin of error	53%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.2%2015-2019	35.6%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	97%
Broadband subscriptions	75.2%2015-2019	90.2%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	80%
Effective property tax rate	2.45%2015-2019	2.01%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	87%
High school diploma or higher	86.2%2015-2019	88.1%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	−0.4×	Within the margin of error	92%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4372015-2019	0.4432020-2024	+0.006	Within the margin of error	46%
Median household income	$56,3572015-2019	$79,5002020-2024	+41%	Improved	75%
Poverty rate	13.0%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Rent as share of income	36.0%2015-2019	32.1%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Rent-burdened households	59.6%2015-2019	53.9%2020-2024	−5.7 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Unemployment rate	10.4%2015-2019	5.6%2020-2024	−4.8 points	Improved	95%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.3%2015-2019	4.7%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	74%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Derby, Connecticut five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Derby, Connecticut in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Derby, Connecticut itself moved +11.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

12,487 residents (±33)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (−4.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

12,487 residents (±33)

Derby, Connecticut
Connecticut share

White58%7,193
Black11%†1,412
Hispanic or Latino22%2,794
Asian2.5%†313
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†14
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races6.1%†761

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

9,850 residents (±367)

Derby, Connecticut
Connecticut share

No high school diploma12%†1,173
High school or GED30%2,999
Some college15%1,445
Associate degree7.4%†725
Bachelor's degree20%1,945
Graduate degree16%1,563

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Graduate degree (+10.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

5,896 households (±324)

Derby, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Under $25k18%†1,054
$25k–50k18%1,051
$50k–75k10%†616
$75k–100k13%†795
$100k–150k23%1,384
$150k–200k9.1%†536
$200k or more7.8%†460

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+11.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

5,896 households (±324)

Derby, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Own62%3,647
Rent38%2,249

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

2,225 households (±306)

Derby, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Under $75012%†256
$750–1,0007.7%†172
$1,000–1,50035%†783

Home values

3,647 homes (±345)

Derby, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Under $150k7.4%†271
$150k–250k40%1,463
$250k–400k41%1,513

Age of homes

6,219 homes (±341)

Derby, Connecticut
Connecticut share

2010 or later5.8%†363
2000–20092.6%†163
1980–199920%1,245

Size of homes

6,219 homes (±341)

Derby, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Studio5.8%†358
1 bedroom9.8%†607
2 bedrooms42%2,617

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

6,595 workers (±530)

Derby, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Drive alone75%4,932
Carpool7.4%†488
Public transit0.4%†27
Walk1.1%†72
Bike0.0%0
Work from home15%†995
Other1.2%†81

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+9.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

5,600 workers (±455)

Derby, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Under 15 min21%1,193
15–29 min44%2,459
30–44 min19%†1,061

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, the county holding most of Derby's residents.

Naugatuck Valley Planning Region has 9,114 employer establishments, 199 for every 10,000 residents (0.80× the US rate of 248; 0.81× Connecticut's), with 145,193 paid employees at an average annual pay of $66,365. The Census Bureau also counts 38,037 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 9,114; 38,037 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 199; US 248 · Connecticut 245
Paid employees: 145,193
Average annual pay: $66,365; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Naugatuck Valley Planning Region by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	859	18.8	0.90×About typical	11,459	$72,272	2,048
Restaurants and other eating places	783	17.1	0.93×About typical	10,388	$23,886	213
Specialty trade contractors	778	17	1.10×About typical	5,955	$78,606	3,374
Building equipment contractors	370	8.1	1.34×More than typical	3,113	$79,530	623
Full-service restaurants	345	7.5	0.98×About typical	4,660	$26,450	90
Limited-service restaurants	332	7.3	0.91×About typical	4,428	$21,733	93
Services to buildings and dwellings	293	6.4	0.95×About typical	1,934	$43,470	1,852
Offices of physicians	268	5.9	0.90×About typical	3,018	$123,671	247
Offices of other health practitioners	259	5.7	0.93×About typical	2,038	$45,187	1,007
Lessors of real estate	245	5.4	0.43×Fewer than typical	1,013	$66,526	4,223
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	242	5.3	3.31×More than typical	5,968	$64,662	68
Personal care services	237	5.2	1.09×About typical	1,147	$26,255	1,625

Rank places for an industry Open Naugatuck Valley Planning Region

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 457,384 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Derby, Connecticut: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2MFY2021
-108.1KFY2025

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Derby, Connecticut, so they do not add up across cities.

Derby, Connecticut's figures are part of those of Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT ($50M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Derby is mostly in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region.

See federal money in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Derby, Connecticut is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).