Untitled photo, 2015
Fairbank’s story
171 years in pictures
Census counts: 223 in 1880, 1,111 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
- 1855Fairbank is settled
FairbankIA
A town of 1,145, settled in 1855.
Population
1,145
2025 Census estimate · +3.2% since 2020
Typical home
$254K
+6.3% in a year
Household income
$90K
median
Median age
42.1
years
Jobs based here
238
A commuter town
Is Fairbank a good place to live?
The best of Fairbank’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for schools; the weakest is a C− for walkability. On walkability, just 11 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. Fairbank has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Fairbank stand out
Where Fairbank beats most towns.
Typical home value
Fairbank$254K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA
3.2 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 93% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Wapsie Valley Comm School District
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Fairbank Elementary School | PK–6 | 187 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Small town
1,145 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Fairbank grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Fairbank is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →SchoolsA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.8 of 20; 4.7% of households have no car; 0.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Jobs & income$90K median household incomeB+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC+Open →HealthMercyone Oelwein Medical Center 7.8 miles awayBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsC−Open →History2 notable people born hereC+Open →Civic life6.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateCold winters, 83° summer afternoons, 39″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 42.1; 20% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Fairbank: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fairbank, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of FairbankEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterFairbank Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Fairbank’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Iowa you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereBuchanan County AuditorBuchanan County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jul 2021
ZIP code5062950629 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 Fairbank.
SchoolsA−
Public schools in Fairbank beat 82% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Wapsie Valley Community School District. Its one school is below.
82%of IA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbank Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 187 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most of Fairbank’s workers commute out: the town has 0.6 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Fairbank for work: only 4% work in town. 4.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Fairbank, where Iowa’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Since 2013, Fairbank has added 47 jobs, to 238 in 2023.
4%work in town
| Fairbank | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.3% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Fairbank4%
Waterloo13%
Oelwein13%
Independence8%
Cedar Rapids5%
19 mi
median commute distance
238
jobs based in Fairbank
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 21% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Fairbank, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Fairbank has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 83°F, Fairbank’s July high is against 84°F in Iowa’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
39″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–29°
Spring36–58°
Summer59–81°
Fall39–60°
Oct 13
typical first frost
Apr 27
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Property crime in Fairbank is lower than in most of Iowa or the rest of the country
Of the 116 Iowa towns we compare, none has a lower property crime rate than Fairbank. The violent crime rate in Fairbank is 0 per 1,000 residents. Fairbank's reported crime rate is well below Iowa's.
| Fairbank | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 7.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Fairbank0
Iowa2.4
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Fairbank0
Iowa12.1
U.S.15.5
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
0
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Fairbank
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fairbank.
59risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtTornadoes
6
paid flood claims since 1990
8
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB
Fairbank ranks healthier than 56% of the country’s towns
Fairbank tracks Iowa closely on all 32 CDC measures. 22% of Fairbank adults binge drink.
56%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Fairbank | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 21% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Mercyone Oelwein Medical Center
7.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A
In Fairbank, the median rent runs lower than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
Fairbank’s median rent is $686 a month. Typical home values rose 6.3% in the year to September 2026. 80% of households own their home in Fairbank.
$254KZillow home value
| Fairbank | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $686 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Fairbank$254K
Iowa$237K
+6.3%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 483 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Ball Park | — | 3 |
| 3. West Bentley Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fairbank
20pages on Fairbank
The big questions
SchoolsA−Beat 82% of IA districts · 1 schoolSafety0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthBBetter than IA on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA$254K typical home · up 6.3% in a yearWork & commuteB+$90K median household income · 238 jobs hereNatural hazardsC+FEMA risk higher than 59% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Fairbank; the nearest are
Allen CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Waterloo16.7 miHawkeye Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Waterloo20.4 mi$6,525 in-state tuitionUniversity of Northern IowaUniversity or college · Public · Cedar Falls22.7 mi$9,936 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Fairbank residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Fairbank for work
Where Fairbank’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
238jobs based in Fairbank
4%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Fairbank
City in Iowa, United States
Fairbank is a city in Buchanan and Fayette counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,111 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 988 ft
- ZIP code
- 50629
Questions about Fairbank
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fairbank, IA expensive?
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 A.
What is Fairbank, IA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Chris Jans and Heather Brandt.