Photo: Bill Whittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0Fairfield spent less per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities
Fairfield’s city government spent $14.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,536 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Fairfield is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,193 per resident in 2022: less than 74% of them
Fairfield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,193 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,463, and the middle half spent $1,184–$1,838. Fairfield spent less than 74% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fairfield itself left out).
About $1,536 per resident a year, or $4.21 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 39%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Fairfield reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,193 · 2023: $1,536. Per resident it went from $1,193 to $1,536 (up 29%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 10,500 to 9,641.
full-time in March 2025, down from 64 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,642 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.69% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Fairfield’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Fairfield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fairfield →
Who’s in charge in Fairfield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Fairfield’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on fairfieldiowa.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 158 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (9,641).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Fairfield Community School District
Fairfield’s K–12 school district, shared with Libertyville, Lockridge, Maharishi Vedic City, Pleasant Plain. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,585 per pupil, $8,071 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Fairfield voted in 2024
Official results for Fairfield’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat57.8%2,664 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican39.7%1,831 votesOthers: 2.5% (117 votes).
Most votes in Fairfield: Kamala D Harris
Jefferson County: Trump 52.3%, Harris 45.5% · Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
of Fairfield’s 6,528 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Iowa: 70%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Mariannette Millermeeks
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Fairfield, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | 57.8% | 39.7% | 2.5% | 4,612 |
| Jefferson County | 45.5% | 52.3% | 2.1% | 8,317 |
| Iowa | 42.5% | 55.7% | 1.8% | 1,663,506 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Fairfield.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: fairfieldiowa.com ↗
- 2Iowa HouseState representatives
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Fairfield’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Fairfield’s government
How much does Fairfield spend per resident?
About $1,536 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,193 was less than 74% of 23 Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fairfield?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,642 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.69% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see fairfieldiowa.com.
Who runs Fairfield’s government?
See fairfieldiowa.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fairfield yet.
How did Fairfield vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 57.8%, Donald J Trump 39.7% (4,612 votes, official results). Jefferson County: Trump 52.3%, Harris 45.5%. Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%.
How many people work for Fairfield?
61 full-time and 37 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $356,016 (about $4.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Fairfield in the state legislature?
State Senate District 44 (Adrian Dickey) and State House District 87 (Jeff Shipley). The House district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Fairfield’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →