Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
7,526 people call this town in Maryland home.
Real strengths, and real weak spots. Its lowest grade is for schools: its public schools trail 92% of Maryland towns on state tests and graduation. At B− overall, Fairwood is better than 48% of U.S. towns and ranks 166th of 259 in Maryland. It lags on cost of living as well — the typical home is worth about $714K, 5.6 years of the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. Where it does best is incomes: the median household earns $181K. Health is a strength too: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 81% of the country. 72% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more here, against 42% in Maryland’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. This Maryland town is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow.
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.
Fairwood’s FEMA risk score is 6 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 59% come from inland flooding and 10% from hurricanes. 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.
Fairwood: nearly one in ten adults report frequent physical distress. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Fairwood is ahead of Maryland on 18 and behind on 2. In Fairwood, 12% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 43% sleep under 7 hours.
| 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.
Among working residents in Fairwood, 1.4% work locally. This Maryland town had 589 jobs in 2023, up 174 from 2013. Also worth knowing: its average trip to work is 39 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 13 miles away.
| 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
The typical July afternoon high for Fairwood comes to 88°F.
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.
In Fairwood, 92% of households live in a home they own. Only 8 of the 251 Maryland towns we compare have a higher going rate for rent than Fairwood.
| Fairwood | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,435 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 92% | 74% | 73% |
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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