Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Fairfield’s subject grades is an A for history. 39% of residents are under 18 in Fairfield, above both New York’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (22%). Only 5 of the 759 New York towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Fairfield. Its National Register listings include Trinity Episcopal Church-Fairfield and Route 29 Stone Arch Bridge. Fairfield has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Fairfield beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Fairfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,610 in 1820, 1,475 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2012 and 3 maps from 1900 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Fairfield.
Most working residents leave Fairfield for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Fairfield has lost 23 jobs, to 74 in 2023. The top destinations are Herkimer (9%), Utica (9%) and Newport (8%).
| Fairfield | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fairfield has cold winters and pleasant summers. Fairfield’s July high is 80°F, near the New York town median (81°F) and below the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fairfield beats the New York average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Fairfield.
| Fairfield | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 25% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Fairfield | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.2% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 12.3% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 23 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fairfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairfield. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi MuseumNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum315K visitors a year8 mi LandmarkFort Dayton
27 mi National MonumentFort Stanwix National Monument78K visitors a year
15 mi Stadium & arenaUtica Memorial Auditorium
39 mi Theme parkEnchanted Forest Water Safari
16 mi MuseumMunson-Williams-Proctor Arts InstituteNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Stanwix National Monument: NPS photo, Public domain · Utica Memorial Auditorium: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Enchanted Forest Water Safari: Arsenalforthewin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Fairfield
About 2 of every 100 Fairfield residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Fairfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Fairfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Fairfield.
Town in Herkimer County, New York, USA
Fairfield is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,475 at the 2020 census, down from 1,627 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Fairfield, Connecticut. The town is north of the village of Herkimer and east of Utica. The hamlet of Fairfield is in the central part of the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
10 notable people were born here, including Robert Waterman and James Hadley.
