Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fairfield gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $93K, 1.3 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income. It grades C− overall, 119th among Alabama's 187 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its public schools trail 81% of Alabama towns on state tests and graduation. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Fairfield, where Alabama’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 23 of Alabama’s 308 towns score higher on hazard risk. Fairfield is home to Miles College.
Where Fairfield beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Miles College | 1,053 |
| Widest gap | Fairfield | AL |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19.9% | 9.6% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alabama), ordered by how far Fairfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 5,003 in 1920, a peak of 15,816 in 1960, 10,000 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1905 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairfield. Close and well known come first.
5 mi Stadium & arenaLegion Field
7 mi Stadium & arenaProtective Stadium
8 mi MuseumSloss Furnaces
7 mi Stadium & arenaLegacy Arena34 mi LakeLewis Smith Lake8 mi Theme parkAlabama Adventure & Splash AdventureLegion Field: USGS, Public domain · Protective Stadium: Unknown, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sloss Furnaces: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Legacy Arena: AuburnShuffle, CC0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fairfield, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Fairfield.
Fairfield is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has poverty well above the Alabama rate.
At 1.3 years of the Birmingham metro’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $93K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Alabama towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. Values fell 2.2% in the past year while the Alabama typical home rose 1.9%.
59% of Fairfield households own their home. The typical Fairfield home is worth about $93,000, 61% below the Alabama typical home.
| Fairfield | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,008 a month | $940 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Fairfield City school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Fairfield High Preparatory School, with 519 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C J Donald Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 316 | D |
| Fairfield High Preparatory SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 519 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AL on state tests and graduation
Against the 5,192 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fairfield’s, it is less healthy than 73%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
23% of adults have diabetes in Fairfield. Only 2 of the 187 Alabama towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Fairfield. 53% of adults have high blood pressure in Fairfield.
| Fairfield | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 53% | 43% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 33% |
| What stands out | Fairfield | AL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 8.2% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.4% | 14.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19.9% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 3,180 in 2013 to 1,609.
Most working residents leave Fairfield for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Fairfield is 21 minutes. Since 2013, Fairfield has lost 1,571 jobs, to 1,609 in 2023.
| Fairfield | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
32.4% of residents live below the poverty line, against 15.6% across Alabama, which weighs on its C− for jobs and income.
Adults 35 to 64 are 25% of residents (38% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 31% of residents (22% statewide). Fairfield’s median age is 30.3 years. Fairfield has lost 5.2% of its people since 2020, down to 9,483 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Fairfield | Alabama towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 30.3 years | 39.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 26% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 23% | 29% |
58% women, 42% men
About 72 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.4 points). Across Alabama, 51.4% of residents are women.
| Fairfield | AL | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.7% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.3% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.2% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.8% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.1% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.2% | 10.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.8% | 7.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.8% | 11.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.5% | 30.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.3% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.1% | 17.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.3% | 11.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Fairfield has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 33° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fairfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Just 14 of its 2,208 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Fairfield itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fairfield City Park | — | 8 |
| 2. Glen Oaks Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
6 within 15 miles of the center of Fairfield
About 11 of every 100 Fairfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Alabama.
11,117 counted in 2010 and 10,000 in 2020; an estimated 9,483 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 5.2% since 2020, after 10% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 places in Fairfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Fairfield.
City in Alabama, United States
Fairfield is a city in western Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham metropolitan area and is located southeast of Pleasant Grove. The population was 10,000 at the 2020 census. Fairfield is home to Miles College, a historically black college enrolling over 1,100 students.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Fairfield.
| Town | AL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | #119 | C− | B+ | — | C− | D |
| Midfield | #144 | D | B | C+ | D | D |
| Birmingham | #164 | D− | B | D− | D | D |
Fairfield reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Fairfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fairfield grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #119 of 187 in Alabama. It grades D for health and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the 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+.
19 notable people were born here, including Doug Jones and Dennis Edwards.
