Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Darien is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, ranked 75th of 767 in Illinois. The median household earns $111K, residents are healthier than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and its schools rank ahead of 86% of Illinois towns. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $456K, 5 years of the Chicago metro’s $91K median household income. Darien’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile, above both the Illinois town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Only 122 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns score higher on hazard risk. Darien has 1 place on the National Register.
Where Darien beats most towns.
6.4% of the town is conserved land, across 18 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Darien is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 7,789 in 1970, 22,011 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 5 maps from 1927 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Darien. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw21 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw21 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a yearSoldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Darien, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Darien.
Darien has less housing insecurity than most of Illinois and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more.
8.8 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Oldfield Oaks Forest Preserve, 105 acres with 2.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oldfield Oaks Forest Preserve | 2.2 mi | 105 |
| 2. Darien Community Park | 1.2 mi | 19 |
| 3. Birchwood Park | 0.3 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Illinois is housing insecurity: 7.7% of its 17,971 adults worry about keeping their housing, against 13.2% statewide.
13% of Darien adults report frequent mental distress, against 17% in Illinois’ towns and 17% across U.S. towns. 29% of Darien adults have obesity. Darien beats the Illinois average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Darien | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 22% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Darien | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.7% | 13.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.6% | 7.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Darien’s median rent is $1,857 a month. Typical home values rose 4.4% in the year to September 2026.
| Darien | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,857 a month | $1,128 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 202 to 159 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Darien is 0.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Darien | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.1 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Darien for work: only 4% work in town. 21% of workers work from home in Darien. Since 2013, Darien has lost 1,065 jobs, to 5,799 in 2023.
| Darien | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 11% | 11% |
| Median household income | $111,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Darien.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Darien has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
20 within 15 miles of the center of Darien
About 6 of every 100 Darien residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
Where Darien’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Illinois, United States
Darien (formerly Cass) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 22,011. A southwestern suburb of Chicago, Darien was named after the town of Darien, Connecticut. Darien is just north of I-55 and Historic U.S. Route 66 (now Frontage Road). The entire south edge of the town borders Waterfall Glen.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Darien.
At #75 in IL, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Downers Grove (A) comes closest.
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darien | #75 | A | D | A− | A | A |
| Downers Grove | #98 | A | D | B+ | A | A |
| Woodridge | #100 | A | D | A− | A− | A |
| Willowbrook | #198 | A− | D | B− | A | A |
| Westmont | #148 | A | D | B | A | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Darien grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #75 of 767 in Illinois. It grades A for health, A− for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
2 notable people were born here, including Gavin Griffin and Doug Lussenhop.
_-_Chicago,_IL_-_June_2026.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}