Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fairfield grades C+ overall, 99th among Iowa's 140 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns and 6% of its land is conserved. On the other side, the median household income is $51K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 25 places on the National Register. 50% of working residents work locally in Fairfield, where Iowa’s towns sit at 31% and U.S. towns at 8%. On hazard risk, just 8 of Iowa’s 276 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Henn Mansion and US Senator James F. Wilson House.
Where Fairfield beats most towns.
James A. Beck House
Census counts: 909 in 1850, 9,416 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and a map from 1980 on.
25 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Fairfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Iowa; it also has poverty well above the Iowa rate.
4.8 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The trail density in Fairfield is 0.7 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Waterworks Park, at 134 acres.
| Fairfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waterworks Park | 0.9 mi | 134 |
| 2. Central Park | 0.3 mi | 2 |
| 3. Chautauqua Park | — | 66 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Fairfield Community School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Fairfield High School, with 442 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 410 | B− |
| Fairfield High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 442 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
56.9% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 43.9% across Iowa.
The typical Fairfield home is worth about $157,000, up 0.6% in a year, 34% below the Iowa typical home. 60% of households own their home in Fairfield.
| Fairfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $870 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 14°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 89% of Iowa places with climate records; July afternoons average 84.9°.
Fairfield has cold winters and warm summers. Fairfield’s January low is 14°F. About 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Fairfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 12°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 84°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 3,681 working residents takes 13.2 minutes, against 19.8 across Iowa. 25% of workers work from home, against 11.3% across Iowa.
Among 140 Iowa towns, just 9 have a lower median household income than Fairfield. The top destinations are Ottumwa (3%), Des Moines (3%) and Mount Pleasant (2%).
| Fairfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 6,243 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fairfield’s, it is healthier than 74%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
45% of Fairfield adults have obesity. Only 3 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Fairfield. 14% of Fairfield adults have diabetes.
| Fairfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Fairfield | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 81.3% | 77.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81% | 77.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.6% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Fairfield
College town 15 of every 100 Fairfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
25 places in Fairfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Fairfield.
City in Iowa, United States
Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. It has a population of 9,416 people, according to the 2020 census. Fairfield is an international center for Transcendental Meditation, the home of Maharishi International University. It became the county seat in 1839 with 110 residents and grew to 650 by 1847. Its library was established in 1853, and it held its first fair in 1854. Early architecture in Fairfield includes work by George Franklin Barber and Barry Byrne.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fairfield grades C+ overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #99 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C+ for health, B+ for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 2.5 years of the area's median household income ($61,620 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
12 notable people were born here, including Harry Harlow and Joe Crail.
