Westport is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Connecticut. With a population of 27,470 people and seven associated neighborhoods, Westport is the 41st largest community in Connecticut.
Westport home prices are not only among the most expensive in Connecticut, but Westport real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
Of important note, Westport is also a town of artists. Westport has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Westport’s character.
Also of interest is that Westport has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 35.68% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
In addition, Westport is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.
Because of many things, Westport is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Westport a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Westport has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Westport’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.
Westport is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.
One downside of living in Westport is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Westport, the average commute to work is 35.00 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the town, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative.
Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Westport is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the train helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Westport area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.
If knowledge is power, Westport is a pretty powerful place. 77.69% of the adults in Westport have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Westport in 2022 was $135,349, which is wealthy relative to Connecticut and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $541,396 for a family of four.
Westport is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Westport home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Westport residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Westport include Italian, Irish, English, German, and Polish.
Westport also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 15.77%.
The most common language spoken in Westport is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and French.