Living in Derry, NH

Rockingham County

Derry is real, currently New Hampshire's largest incorporated TOWN by population (though the state's cities Manchester, Nashua, and Concord are all larger) -- a genuinely dual-natured 2026 market this record discloses honestly rather than uniformly. On the strength side: New Hampshire's real, current tax structure has no individual income tax and no general sales tax (its Interest & Dividends Tax was confirmed fully repealed effective January 1, 2025), homeowners insurance runs genuinely below the national average, crime runs genuinely below national comparison figures across every aggregator source reviewed, unemployment sits at a genuinely low ~3.0%, and Derry sits directly on the I-93 Boston-commuter corridor with a structured park-and-ride bus option and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport just next door in Londonderry. On the honest challenge side: Derry's own property tax burden runs real, genuinely HIGH -- Ownwell's cited effective rate (~1.87%) runs roughly 83% above the national comparison figure and even somewhat above New Hampshire's own already-high statewide median -- its housing prices run ABOVE (not below) the national median, a real, disclosed difference from several other markets in this project's dataset, its K-8 academic proficiency ran below the New Hampshire statewide average per sources reviewed, and its population has been genuinely flat for several years rather than clearly growing. Derry's cultural claims to fame are real and genuinely distinct: the confirmed birthplace of astronaut Alan Shepard (source of its 'Spacetown' nickname) and the real, current home of the Robert Frost Farm State Historic Site, where the poet lived and wrote from 1900 to 1911. This record states Derry's honest 2026 picture directly: a genuinely low-crime, no-income-tax southern New Hampshire commuter town with a real, genuinely high property tax burden and above-national housing costs worth weighing carefully before committing to a specific Derry address.

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Housing

Median sale price$459,750

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.87%

Not independently sourced at the Rockingham County level this session. New Hampshire carries no income tax statewide. See the New Hampshire hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Derry-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

Genuinely favorable New Hampshire tax structure: no individual income tax and no general sales tax, with the Interest & Dividends Tax on unearned income confirmed fully repealed effective January 1, 2025. Genuinely low crime across every aggregator source reviewed this pass (violent- and property-crime rates below national comparison figures, a 68th-percentile safety ranking, zero reported homicides in the most recent year reviewed). Homeowners insurance running genuinely below the national average, consistent with New Hampshire's broader statewide favorability on that cost. A genuinely low unemployment rate (~3.0%) as of 2026. Direct I-93 access to both Manchester and Boston, a structured park-and-ride commuter bus option (up to ~22 weekday roundtrips to Boston's South Station and Logan Airport), and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (New Hampshire's busiest) located immediately next door in Londonderry. Two real, genuinely distinct cultural claims to fame: the confirmed birthplace of astronaut Alan Shepard, and the Robert Frost Farm State Historic Site, where the poet lived and wrote from 1900 to 1911. A real, unusual, and generally well-regarded high-school arrangement via Pinkerton Academy, the largest independent (non-boarding) high school in the United States.

Cons

A real, genuinely HIGH property tax burden, honestly disclosed: Ownwell's cited Derry-specific effective rate (~1.87%) runs approximately 83% above the ~1.02% national comparison figure and even somewhat above New Hampshire's own already-high statewide median (~1.82%), with a real, cited median annual tax bill of approximately $8,190 versus a $2,400 national median. Housing costs running ABOVE, not below, the national comparison figure: Zillow's and Redfin's cited Derry figures both run roughly 7%-13% above the ~$408,776 national median sale price -- a real, disclosed difference from several other markets in this project's dataset. A real, genuinely FLAT population trend since the 2020 Census -- neither a clear growth story nor a sharp decline, honestly stated as flat rather than forced into either narrative. K-8 academic proficiency running below the New Hampshire statewide average per sources reviewed (Niche-cited B-minus grades and a bottom-half statewide testing ranking for the Derry Cooperative School District), alongside a real, distinctive high-school arrangement (Pinkerton Academy, an independent academy under a town tuition contract, rather than a conventional district high school) some families may need time to understand. A real, disclosed resident-perception split on safety (62% felt safe in one cited survey, 38% did not) alongside real, cited neighborhood-level crime variance. A real, localized flood-risk corridor along Beaver Brook (FEMA Zones A and AE) worth confirming directly for any specific property. This record's own web-search budget did not surface a precise, current Derry-specific homeowners-insurance citation or a single named largest local employer with a precise current headcount this pass -- real, disclosed research gaps.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits movers whose specific priorities align with Derry's real strengths -- New Hampshire's genuinely favorable no-income-tax/no-sales-tax structure, genuinely low crime, genuinely low unemployment, and direct I-93/Boston-commuter access with a structured park-and-ride bus option -- particularly those relocating specifically from higher-cost eastern Massachusetts or greater Boston, for whom Derry's housing costs (while above the U.S. national median) may still read as a genuine improvement. Also a reasonable fit for remote workers who want New Hampshire's tax advantages and low crime without a daily Boston commute, and for anyone comfortable with Derry's real, distinctive Pinkerton Academy high-school arrangement. Movers should take the town's real, honestly-disclosed challenges seriously -- a genuinely high property tax burden, above-national housing costs, a flat population trend, and below-state-average K-8 academic proficiency -- and research current, address-specific data directly before committing to a specific Derry neighborhood.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone specifically seeking nationally low-cost housing, given Derry's real, cited housing figures running roughly 7%-13% ABOVE the U.S. national median sale price rather than below it. Anyone highly sensitive to property tax burden specifically, given Derry's real, cited effective rate (~1.87%) running approximately 83% above the national comparison figure and even somewhat above New Hampshire's own already-high statewide median. Families whose top priority is a strong, above-state-average K-8 public school district, given the Derry Cooperative School District's cited below-state-average proficiency figures and bottom-half statewide testing ranking -- though families should still separately research Pinkerton Academy's own high-school-level offerings directly, since this record's own research this pass focused on the K-8 district data. Anyone requiring rail-based commuting, given this record's own research finding no commuter or passenger rail service reaching Derry directly (I-93 driving and the corridor's park-and-ride bus service are the primary non-car options). Anyone highly risk-averse to localized flood exposure near Beaver Brook, given the real, documented FEMA Zone A and AE designations along that corridor.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.