Darien, CT
Western Connecticut County · Connecticut · United States
Home to 21,683 people across 12.654 square miles.
At a glance
06820 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 06820 is
| Coordinates | 41.076202, -73.48008 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| County | Western Connecticut County |
| State | Connecticut (CT) |
| Land area | 12.654 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/New_York
Current weather
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| New York, NY | 37.2 mi |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA | 117.7 mi |
| Boston, MA | 153.2 mi |
| Chicago, IL | 733.7 mi |
People
Who lives in 06820
21,683 residents in 7,111 households, averaging 3.05 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 31.2% of residents, and 82.3% of households are families.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 7,111 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 3.05 |
| Family households | 82.3% |
| Living alone | 17.4% |
| Median age | 39.7 years |
| Households with internet | 96.8% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 06820
The median household here earns $250,001 a year, above the US median of $70,109, which puts 06820 ahead of 100% of American ZIP codes. 6.0% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $250,001 ±— |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $150,795 |
| Poverty rate | 6.0% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.6% |
| Labor force participation | 65.8% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 85.6% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 98.4% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 06820
A typical home is valued at $1.73M, and median rent runs $3,501 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 83.1% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 1957.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $1.73M |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $3,501/mo |
| Median year built | 1957 |
| Housing units | 7,567 |
| Vacancy rate | 6.0% |
Own vs. rent
Of 7,111 occupied units
| Owner households | 5,908 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 1,203 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 06820 commutes
38.0% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 37.9 minutes. 31.7% work from home.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 37.9 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 06820
ZIP code 06820 is assigned to Darien, CT, and falls within Western Connecticut County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 21,683 people live inside it.
At 1,714 residents per square mile spread over 12.654 square miles, 06820 reads as a suburban area. It is a mid-sized postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings here sit well above the national picture. The median household income of $250,001 places 06820 in the upper reaches of American postal codes, ahead of 100% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Darien looks like
Housing in 06820 costs far above the national median. A typical home is valued at $1,728,400 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $3,501 a month. Ownership dominates: 83.1% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, which usually signals an established residential area with relatively low turnover.
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 88.6% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1957, making the housing here mid-century.
The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 39.7 against 42 nationally. Households are relatively large at 3.05 people on average, with 82.3% classified as family households.
Getting to work takes 37.9 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 38.0% of workers, while 21.4% take public transit, 31.7% work from home. Commute patterns are one of the better proxies for how a place actually functions day to day.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Darien, CT
Darien is largely suburban in character. Accommodation here skews toward mid-range chain hotels and extended-stay properties positioned near highway junctions and business parks, which suits anyone driving in or visiting for work rather than sightseeing.
Local housing costs are a rough guide to nightly rates: median rent in 06820 runs $3,501 a month, which is high, and hotel pricing in expensive residential areas usually follows the same curve. For reference, New York, NY is about 37.2 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 06820 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 06820 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 06820 offers a compact profile of Darien: 21,683 residents, a median household income of $250,001, 85.6% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 5.6%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 06820 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Darien may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 06820
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every Connecticut ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
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Questions
Common questions about 06820
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Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 06820. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).