Darien Birds Eye® Foods Tower, 2008
Darien’s story
186 years in pictures
Census counts: 427 in 1880, 1,573 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1893 on.
- 1840Darien is settled
DarienWI
2.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Photo: Praiawart · CC BY 4.0
Population
1,530
2025 Census estimate · −2.9% since 2020
Typical home
$338K
+3.1% in a year
Household income
$63K
median
Median age
41.9
years
Jobs based here
983
Balanced
Is Darien a good place to live?
Darien’s best subject grade is an A for civic life; its weakest is a C− for walkability. 17% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Darien, below both Wisconsin’s towns (32%) and U.S. towns (29%). The biggest park or preserve is Wildwood Park, at 25 acres. Darien has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Darien stand out
Where Darien beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Darien8.9
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical WI town3.8
Civic lifeA
2.3 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Wisconsin town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Natural hazardsA
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1840
A long history
A history going back 186 years.
How Darien grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Wisconsin), ordered by how far Darien is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 18% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.8 of 20; 1.6% of households have no car; 1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →SchoolsCOpen →HealthLess healthy than 70% of U.S. towns; Aurora Lakeland Medical Center 11.9 miles awayCOpen →Cost of livingBOpen →Jobs & income983 jobs based hereB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors5% conserved landB+Open →History1 notable person born hereBOpen →Civic life8.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Darien: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Darien, and how to reach them.
PowerWisconsin Power & Light18.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterDarien WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Darien’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereVillage of Darien ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2026
ZIP code5311453114 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Darien.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Darien faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities.
18risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsC
Darien’s schools rank behind 75% of Wisconsin districts
Its public schools are run by the Delavan-Darien School District. Its one school is below.
25%of WI districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darien ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–4 | Grades 3–4 | 223 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WI on state tests and graduation
HealthC
Darien stands out in Wisconsin and nationally: a larger share of its adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance
12% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Darien, above both the Wisconsin town median (7.1%) and the median of U.S. towns (8.1%). 75% of adults had a checkup this year in Darien. Darien beats the Wisconsin average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
30%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Darien | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Wisconsin
1 better23 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Darien | WI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 8.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 11.9% | 8% |
Aurora Lakeland Medical Center
11.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Darien has four seasons and pleasant summers
Darien has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 13° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
38″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–31°
Spring36–57°
Summer59–81°
Fall40–60°
Oct 14
typical first frost
Apr 28
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Darien has 1.2 jobs for every working resident, and 944 people commute in
Most working residents leave Darien for work: only 5% work in town. The median household income in Darien is $63,000. The top destinations are Delavan (12%), Elkhorn (7%) and Darien (6%).
5%work in town
| Darien | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,000 | $87,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.6% | 6.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Darien5%
Delavan12%
Elkhorn7%
Darien6%
Madison5%
13 mi
median commute distance
983
jobs based in Darien
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 16% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsB+
Darien has set aside 5.1% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
5.1%conserved
5.1%
conserved · 49 of 964 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wildwood Park | — | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade B
A typical Darien home is worth about $338K
The typical Darien home is worth about $338,000, up 3.1% in a year, close to the Wisconsin typical home. Darien’s median rent is $900 a month.
$338KZillow home value
| Darien | Wisconsin towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $900 a month | $1,078 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Darien$338K
Wisconsin$337K
+3.1%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 70 attractions →Illinois Railway Museum and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Darien. Close and well known come first.
27 mi MuseumIllinois Railway Museum
17 mi TheatreAlpine Valley Music Theatre
33 mi State parkAztalan State Park
30 mi Stadium & arenaBMO Center34 mi MuseumVolo Auto Museum
22 mi MuseumOld World WisconsinSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Illinois Railway Museum: The original uploader was Slambo at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alpine Valley Music Theatre: chad davis, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Aztalan State Park: Joshua Mayer - Flickr user wackybadger, CC BY-SA 2.0 · BMO Center: SimLibrarian, CC0 · Old World Wisconsin: Bridget Bannon, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Darien
19pages on Darien
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Darien; the nearest are
Blackhawk Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Janesville15.4 mi$4,267 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-WhitewaterUniversity or college · Public · Whitewater16.4 mi$8,616 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Darien residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.
About Darien
Village in Wisconsin, United States
Darien ( or ) is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,573 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Darien.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 925 ft
- ZIP code
- 53114
- Area code
- 262
Questions about Darien
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Darien, WI a good place to live?
2.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Wisconsin town.
Is Darien, WI expensive?
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($80,520 across the Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.