Household incomes in Fairwood top those of 98% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 6.5% of residents, against 9.4% across Maryland. The two grades for Fairwood are A+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 26.3 in Baltimore.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Fairwood
The better-paid jobs are outside Fairwood
75% of Fairwood residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 38% of the jobs based in Fairwood pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 99% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Home offices are common in Fairwood
35% of Fairwood workers work from home, against 19% across Maryland. Time on the road ↓
A lot of Fairwood workers cross into Washington, D.C.
25% of Fairwood workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (26%) and Arlington (2%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Fairwood is a place people come home to
There are 589 jobs based in Fairwood, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Fairwood has about 4,800 people in it, 36% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Fairwood workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 39 minutes each way, against 31 across Maryland. Over a year that’s about 299 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Income, poverty and work: Fairwood’s grade explained
Household income is its strongest input ($181,458, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Fairwood could be anywhere from A to A+.
What work there is in Fairwood: 589 jobs
589 jobs are based in Fairwood.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Fairwood, 2013 → 2023: 415 → 589. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Fairwood’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Fairwood: about 39 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Fairwood workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,782 commuters (the 35% who work from home are left out). Across Maryland: 80% drive alone, 5% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
26% of working residents work in Washington
Where Fairwood clocks in
26% of workers
3% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
A workday in Fairwood: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 3,269 residents head out to work, 47 work right here, and 542 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,800 people are in Fairwood on a workday afternoon, 36% fewer than live here.
0.18 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where in the region Fairwood works
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Fairwood is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Fairwood is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns, #112 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place Fairwood near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,267 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 1% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 1% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 74% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 0.0% of Fairwood households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 8% of Fairwood’s commuters take a bus or train.
Fairwood next to U.S. towns of 5,300 to 10,200: 76th of 3,071 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Fulton MD | 5,677 | $222K | 0.7% | 1.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Hampton MD | 5,372 | $171K | 3.8% | 0.5% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Chevy Chase MD | 9,445 | $212K | 4.3% | 1.9% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 74 | Vernon WI | 7,464 | $120K | 3.0% | 1.4% | 2% | A+ |
| 75 | Cottage Grove WI | 8,930 | $139K | 3.7% | 0.9% | 7% | A+ |
| 76 | Fairwood MD | 7,526 | $181K | 6.5% | 1.2% | 1% | A+ |
| 77 | Lincolnshire IL | 7,963 | $186K | 5.2% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 78 | Worth Township IN | 6,688 | $123K | 4.1% | 0.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,071 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Fairwood, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
The towns around Fairwood
The biggest share goes to Bowie (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Fairwood workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairwood | – | A+ | A | 39 min | $181,458 |
| Bowie | 3% | A | A | 35 min | $141,995 |
| Glenn Dale | under 2% | A | B− | 34 min | $134,333 |
| Mitchellville | under 2% | A | A | 33 min | $149,347 |
| Woodmore | under 2% | A− | B+ | 40 min | $184,286 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Fairwood’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Fairwood: questions
What is the median household income in Fairwood?
$181,458 (±$31,425) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Fairwood?
6.5%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Fairwood?
39 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 35% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Fairwood work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (26%, 13 mi), Baltimore (3%, 26 mi), Bowie (3%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Fairwood walkable?
Fairwood is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 8.5 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Fairwood without a car?
8% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. 1% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Fairwood, from the people who make the trip.
More of Fairwood
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.