New Canaan Hangs On as State's 2nd Richest Town

Despite a slight decline in median family income, New Canaan is still the second richest town in Fairfield County and the state.

New Canaan's median income slipped from $182,018 in 2009 to $180,434 in 2010. Darien and Weston changed places, with Darien now at the top of the list and Weston at third.

Darien, at more than $185,000, replaces Weston at the top, which dropped from $190,636 in 2009 to $180,321 in 2010.

The figures were compiled by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center Inc. in Rocky Hill, a nonprofit agency that researches and provides economic data used by the state.

"I really don't know how much it means. All of our towns are fortunate enough that many of our residents work in the financial industry and haven't been as hard hit by the recession as in the larger towns and cities," New Canaan First Selectman Jeb Walker said.

"We're very grateful for it, and it's good to know that New Canaan is still on such solid footing," said Walker. "We've been able to keep costs and taxes as low as possible. But sooner or later, if the housing market doesn't come back, it's going to start impacting even towns like ours."

Walker also said, "the business sector has been hurt more by the economic downtown than individuals who reside in the town."

Alissa DeJonge, director of research for the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, said despite declines in every town in the county except Greenwich and Westport, Fairfield County continues to have the highest family median income of any county in the state.

She said the median income dropped in Fairfield County from $82,184 in 2009 to $77,620 in 2010.

"The numbers vary a little from town to town based on a combination of demographics and a community's industrial growth or decline," she said.

"But even in affluent places the median income declined because companies have downsized and people have taken positions that pay less," she said. "Executives who stayed with their companies did not receive the large bonuses they have in the past."

Do you feel like you live in the second richest community in Connecticut? Has your income increased or fallen in the past year? Leave a comment below.

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