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 associated 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.Darien is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 96.09% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Darien is a town of managers, sales and office workers, and professionals. There are especially a lot of people living in Darien who work in management occupations (26.19%), sales jobs (18.72%), and business and financial occupations (15.12%). 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 29.44% 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 great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Darien a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Darien has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Darien’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country. 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. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities. One downside of living in Darien, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 33.94 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. Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Darien is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the train helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Darien area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.If knowledge is power, Darien is a pretty powerful place. 85.12% 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 2022 was $147,195, which is wealthy relative to Connecticut and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $588,780 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, German, Italian, and Polish. The most common language spoken in Darien is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
