Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 122,489, settled in 1858.
For a city of 122,489, Fairfield does unevenly: it grades C−, ranked 532nd of 841 in California. It is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. The trade-offs: the typical home is worth about $598K, 6 years of the Vallejo metro’s $100K median household income, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Fairfield’s median rent is $2,266 a month, above both California’s towns ($1,895 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Fairfield is home to Solano Community College. Fairfield's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns.
Where Fairfield beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Fairfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 329 in 1870, 119,881 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 2 maps from 1902 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 has home values still below their peak, owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings.
Reported crimes fell from 3,314 to 2,794 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Fairfield’s violent crime rate is 5.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Fairfield | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.5 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Fairfield-Suisun Unified school district. Three of its 41 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grange MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 944 | – |
| Angelo Rodriguez HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,111 | A− |
| Public Safety AcademyTop results in townGrades 5–12 | Grades 5–12 | 745 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Since 1982, 48 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fairfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
33 miles of trail in 25 parks and preserves. Rockville Hills Regional Park, at 154 acres with 2.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Fairfield | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rockville Hills Regional Park | 2.5 mi | 154 |
| 2. Cordelia Community Park | 1.6 mi | 48 |
| 3. Allan Witt Park | 1.4 mi | 52 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical value, about $598K, is 7% below its June 2022 peak.
65% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent in Fairfield. The typical Fairfield home is worth about $598,000, down 0.9% in a year, 21% below the California typical home. 61% of households own their home in Fairfield.
| Fairfield | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 65% | 55% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Fairfield has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Fairfield is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Fairfield for work: only 19% work in town. Since 2013, Fairfield has added 5,292 jobs, to 38,857 in 2023. The top destinations are Vacaville (6%), San Francisco (6%) and Napa (4%).
| Fairfield | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 8,311 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fairfield’s, it is less healthy than 62%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Fairfield beats the California average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 71% of Fairfield adults had a checkup this year.
| Fairfield | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 36% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Fairfield | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 8.5% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairfield. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi MuseumAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary
Big draw37 mi MuseumUSS Hornet
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaChase Center
Big draw38 mi LandmarkLombard Street
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaOracle Park
Big draw40 mi GardenPresidio of San FranciscoAlcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lombard Street: The original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Presidio of San Francisco: Robert Campbell, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Fairfield
About 7 of every 100 Fairfield residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California.
105,321 counted in 2010 and 119,881 in 2020; an estimated 122,489 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
35 notable people were born in Fairfield.
City in California, United States
Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Solano County, California, United States, in the North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The city has a diversified economy, with government, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, professional and commercial construction sectors. Fairfield was founded in 1856 by clipper ship captain Robert H. Waterman, and named after his former hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut. It is the location of Travis Air Force Base and the headquarters of Jelly Belly. The population was 119,881 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Fairfield.
| Town | CA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | #532 | C− | D− | C− | B | B |
| Suisun City | #539 | C− | D | C | B− | B |
| Green Valley | — | — | D− | — | B− | A− |
| Vacaville | #414 | C | D− | C | B | B+ |
Green Valley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Green Valley 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 16% of U.S. towns and #532 of 841 in California. It grades B for health, C− for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
35 notable people were born here, including Mercedes Moné and John Scalzi.
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