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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Darien, CT
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Darien profile


Living in Darien



Darien is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Connecticut. With a population of 21,926 people and five constituent neighborhoods, Darien is the 52nd largest community in Connecticut.

Darien home prices are not only among the most expensive in Connecticut, but Darien real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Darien has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Darien is also a town of artists. Darien has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Darien’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Darien telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 26.16% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Darien is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.

Because of many things, Darien is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Darien really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Darien perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.

Darien is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.

One downside of living in Darien, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 33.65 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.

For the size of the town, public transportation in Darien is quite heavily used. Mostly, people who use it for their daily commute are taking the train. For Darien, the benefits are reduced air pollution and congestion on the highways.

If knowledge is power, Darien is a pretty powerful place. 85.70% of the adults in Darien have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Darien in 2018 was $139,079, which is wealthy relative to Connecticut and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $556,316 for a family of four.

Darien is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Darien home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Darien residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Darien include Irish, English, Italian, German, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Darien is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.


Real Estate in Popular Darien Neighborhoods

Zip Codes in Darien, CT