Darien is #1 in Connecticut for college degrees
Darien is ranked on 35 lists against the 155 Connecticut towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 10 and the top quarter on 13.
Darien is on Connecticut’s podium 6 times
Each list ranks every CT town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Darien marked.
More kids than 100% of Connecticut
Not better or worse, just Darien’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for graduation rate
Lists where Darien sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Darien lands in the top half on 15 of 22 lists
Each dot is Darien’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in CT, the right end is last. Areas where Darien does best come first.
Darien out-ranks 1 of its 3 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Darien lands in every CT ranking
36 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
People
Most educated#1 Darien · 85.9%
#1
Youngest#1 Mansfield · 21.2
#31
Oldest#1 Sherman · 60.2
#125
Most residents 65+#1 Sharon · 37.9%
#149
Most kids#1 Darien · 30.9%
#1 Health
Healthiest#1 Darien · 100 / 100
#1
Lowest obesity#1 Wilton · 21%
#6
Fewest smokers#1 Darien · 6%
#1
Most active#1 Darien · 15%
#1
Fewest uninsured#1 Madison · 4%
#1
Lowest depression#1 Westport · 17%
#11
Closest to a top hospital#1 Stamford · 0.0 mi
#20 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Salisbury · 27.5%
#51
Most new homes#1 Granby · 7.4 per 1,000
#30
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Waterbury · +99.9%
#27 Safety
Safest#1 Weston · 2.1
#33 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Voluntown · 66.4%
#154
Most trails#1 Burlington · 3.8 mi / sq mi
#148
Most walkable#1 Bridgeport · 125 / sq mi
#43 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Jewett City · 2.1 yrs
#155
Cheapest rent#1 Middlebury · $398/mo
#149
Lowest property tax#1 Windsor Locks · $3,688/yr
#148
Rent easiest to afford#1 Rocky Hill · 33.6%
#61 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Groton · 17.5 min
#150 
The number on the right is Darien’s spot. All of Connecticut’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every CT list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.