What stands out worked out from the figures below

Darien has the most expensive homes ($1822k median).

Stamford has the most affordable homes ($624k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Darien	Stamford
People
Population	21,936Lowest	137,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+10.5% CT: +0.9%
Median age	40±1.5Highest about the CT average	38.4±0.7Lowest 7% below CT
	Darien and Stamford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	30.9%±2.4Highest CT: 20.2%	18.4%±1Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	13.7%±2.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	16.2%±0.9Highest CT: 18.5%
	Stamford and Darien are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	85.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	51.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.8%±0.6Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$250,001Highest 161% above CT	$111,586±$5kLowest 17% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,822,400±$171kHighest 397% above CT	$624,400±$12kLowest 70% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,501Highest 135% above CT	$2,276±$58Lowest 53% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT	$9,314Lowest 40% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.8%±11.7Highest CT: 52.6%	52.8%±3.5Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Darien and Stamford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest CT: 10%	10.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.4%Highest CT: 66.5%	48.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 11 yrs older than CT	1973Highest 6 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 46% above CT	29 minLowest 8% above CT
Work from home	35.5%±6.6Highest CT: 16%	19.4%±1.5Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#2 of 149 in CT	#111 of 149 in CT
School district	Darien School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Stamford School District
High school in town	Darien High School	Westhill High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	14.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.