Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,526.
Fairwood's standout: the median household earns $181K. Overall it grades B−, 166th of 259 graded towns in Maryland. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 81% of the country and natural-hazard risk is low. Its weakest subject is schools: its schools rank behind 92% of the state's. 72% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Fairwood, against 42% in Maryland’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. On cost of living, just 20 of Maryland’s 328 towns do worse. Fairwood is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Fairwood beats most towns.
5,031 counted in 2010 and 7,983 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Fairwood is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for schools (better than 8%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2019 and 7 maps from 1900 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairwood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw14 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw14 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw17 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw16 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw6 mi Stadium & arenaNorthwest StadiumWhite House: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Washington Monument: Oren Rozen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Northwest Stadium: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0
Fairwood is unincorporated, so Prince George's County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Mar 11, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Fairwood.
Fairwood sends many workers across the state line to Arlington, has less COPD than most of Maryland and has household incomes well above the Maryland norm.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with Maryland is COPD: 3.5% of its 5,852 adults have COPD, against 5.9% statewide. Against the 1,322 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fairwood’s, it is less healthy than 88%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
13% of Fairwood adults have been diagnosed with depression. Fairwood beats the Maryland average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 40% of Fairwood adults have obesity.
| Fairwood | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 20% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Fairwood | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.5% | 5.9% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.2% | 9.9% |
| More adults sleeping under 7 hours | 43% | 37.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
25% of working residents cross a state line to work, Arlington among the top destinations. Fairwood has 589 jobs for its 3,316 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Fairwood for work: only 1% work in town. The average trip to work in Fairwood is 39 minutes. Jobs based in Fairwood grew to 589 in 2023, 174 more than in 2013.
| Fairwood | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $181,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 39 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 3.2% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.5% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fairwood has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 26° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median property tax bill is $7,607, against $4,093 across Maryland, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Fairwood’s median rent is $3,435 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
21 within 15 miles of the center of Fairwood
About 7 of every 100 Fairwood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Where Fairwood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
CDP in Maryland
Fairwood is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,983 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Fairwood.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Glenn Dale (B−) comes closest.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairwood | #166 | B− | D | — | D | A− |
| Bowie | #173 | C+ | C | C | D | A− |
| Glenn Dale | #170 | B− | C | — | D | A− |
| Mitchellville | #182 | C+ | D | — | D | B+ |
| Woodmore | #209 | C | D | — | D | B+ |
Fairwood, Glenn Dale, Mitchellville and Woodmore report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Fairwood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fairwood grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #166 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A− for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $714,000, 68% above the Maryland typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
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