Derby, Connecticut

City · population 12,325 (2020 Census)

Median home: $256,700
Household income: $79,500
Jan low / Jul high: 18° / 82°
Snow a year: 40 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 8
Median age: 46.4

Derby is a city of 12,325 people, Connecticut. The median home is worth $256,700, below the typical Connecticut town ($376,000). It ranks more vibrant than 94% of Connecticut towns, more walkable than 87% of Connecticut towns, hipper than 80% of Connecticut towns.

How Derby ranks

Percentile among Connecticut towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Connecticut towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Derby is worth $256,700, below the typical Connecticut town ($376,000). Homes cost about 3.2 times the median household income of $79,500, which is more affordable than 70% of Connecticut towns. Median rent is $1,452 a month. 61.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Connecticut towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Derby	Typical Connecticut town
Median home value	$256,700	$376,000
Median rent	$1,452	$1,462
Median household income	$79,500	$109,167
Home value ÷ income	3.2×	3.6×
Homeownership	61.9%	80.3%
Median year built	1967	1969
Seasonal / vacation homes	2.0%	—

Who lives in Derby

People	Derby	Typical Connecticut town
Median age	46.4	45.0
Age 65 and over	21.1%	20.6%
Under 18	14.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	35.6%	45.8%
Below the poverty line	10.8%	5.7%
Veterans	7.4%	—
Born outside the U.S.	14.5%	—
Work from home	15.1%	16.8%
Average commute	26.9 min	27.6 min
Homes with broadband	90.2%	93.8%

Weather in Derby

July highs average 82.0°F and January lows 18.4°F. About 52.0 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 40.3 inches of snow (typical Connecticut town: 39.0 in). Expect about 10 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 130 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Ansonia 1 Ne station (1.7 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Derby since 1950, compared with 8 for the typical Connecticut town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on July 10, 1989 about 8.4 miles from the town center. The most recent was on August 27, 2020.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 17 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on October 4, 2010.

Public schools in Derby

5 public schools with 1,312 students, about 10.4 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Derby High School	9-12	370	10.3
Irving School	K-5	329	9.1
Derby Middle School	6-8	282	10.8
Bradley School	K-5	272	11.3
Little Raiders University	PK-PK	59	14.8

Towns near Derby

Ansonia, CT
1.4 mi · 18,918 people · home $287,200
Shelton, CT
3.3 mi · 40,869 people · home $452,600
Seymour, CT
4.1 mi · 16,748 people · home $370,000
Orange, CT
4.1 mi · 14,280 people · home $491,500
Woodbridge, CT
4.8 mi · 9,087 people · home $588,100
Oronoque, CT
4.9 mi · 3,790 people · home $355,600
East Village, CT
5.9 mi · 4,057 people · home $559,900
West Haven, CT
7.0 mi · 55,584 people · home $291,700

Derby questions

Is Derby, Connecticut a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Derby scores better for retirees than 15% of Connecticut towns and quieter than 28%. 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (median age 46.4).

How much does a house cost in Derby?

The median owner-occupied home in Derby is valued at $256,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $79,500, so homes cost about 3.2 times income. Median rent is $1,452 a month.

What is the weather like in Derby?

July highs average 82.0°F and January lows 18.4°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 52.0 inches of precipitation a year and 40.3 inches of snow.

Does Derby get tornadoes?

8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Derby since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on July 10, 1989. The typical Connecticut town has had 8.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Derby's Census boundary (GEOID 0919480). Comparisons use the median of Connecticut towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-12.