Fairchance PA Presby PHS215, 1923
Fairchance’s story
146 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,092 in 1890, 1,890 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1923 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
- 1880Fairchance is settled
FairchancePA
A typical home costs 2 years of the Pittsburgh metro’s $76K median household income.
Population
1,787
2025 Census estimate · −4.3% since 2020
Typical home
$148K
+2.9% in a year
Household income
$40K
median
Median age
55.8
years
Jobs based here
213
A commuter town
Is Fairchance a good place to live?
The best of Fairchance’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a D for incomes. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Fairchance, against 7.6% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On incomes, just 56 of Pennsylvania’s 1,749 towns do worse. Fairchance has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Fairchance stand out
Where Fairchance beats most towns.
Typical home value
Fairchance$148K
Pennsylvania$287K
Cost of livingA−
2 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 84% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Natural hazardsB+
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1880
A long history
A history going back 146 years.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Fairchance for work
Where Fairchance’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
213jobs based in Fairchance
1%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Fairchance grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Fairchance is from typical.
Jobs & incomeDOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 30% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →SchoolsBehind 61% of Pennsylvania districts on tests and graduationC+Open →HealthUniontown Hospital 5.2 miles awayC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.6 of 20; 8.9% of households have no car; 1.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2% conserved landB+Open →History4 notable people born hereB−Open →Civic life4.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 55.8; 17% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Fairchance: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fairchance, and how to reach them.
PowerWest Penn PowerEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterNorth Fayette Cnty Muni Auth water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Fairchance’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereFayette County Election BureauFayette County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2022
ZIP codes15436, 1540115436 98% · 15401 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Fairchance.
HousingCost of living grade A−
Fairchance’s typical home value is about $148K
The typical Fairchance home is worth about $148,000, up 2.9% in a year, 48% below the Pennsylvania typical home. 55% of Fairchance households own their home, below both Pennsylvania’s towns (78%) and U.S. towns (73%). Fairchance’s median rent is $685 a month.
$148KZillow home value
| Fairchance | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $685 a month | $1,115 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Fairchance$148K
Pennsylvania$287K
+2.9%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
In Fairchance, the median household income runs lower than in the typical Pennsylvania or U.S. town
The median household income in Fairchance is $40,000. Since 2013, Fairchance has lost 80 jobs, to 213 in 2023. 1.4% of Fairchance working residents work locally.
1%work in town
| Fairchance | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Fairchance1%
Georges Township13%
North Union Township10%
South Union Township8%
Uniontown7%
12 mi
median commute distance
213
jobs based in Fairchance
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 45% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Fairchance
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Fairchance since 1978.
30risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 1978
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Fairchance
Fairchance has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 22° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
28″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–41°
Spring39–63°
Summer60–82°
Fall43–65°
Oct 18
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
On CDC estimates, Fairchance is less healthy than 55% of U.S. towns
Fairchance beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Fairchance.
45%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Fairchance | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
0 better23 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Fairchance | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 18.8% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 7.7% |
| More adults with arthritis | 34.7% | 30.4% |
Uniontown Hospital
5.2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.4%conserved
| Fairchance | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.4% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
2.4%
conserved · 18 of 755 acres
0.4 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fairchance Park | 0.2 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 84 attractions →Fallingwater and 18 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairchance. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi MuseumFallingwater
7 mi National BattlefieldFort Necessity National Battlefield226K visitors a year
16 mi Stadium & arenaMountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium
39 mi Theme parkKennywood
31 mi MountainMount Davis
29 mi LakeDeep Creek LakeSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Fallingwater: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Fort Necessity National Battlefield: Wilson44691, CC0 · Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · Mount Davis: Wikiuser100, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Deep Creek Lake: Gohens84, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fairchance
19pages on Fairchance
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Fairchance
About 2 of every 100 Fairchance residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Famous people from Fairchance
4 notable people were born in Fairchance.
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About Fairchance
Borough in Pennsylvania, United States
Fairchance is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,889 at the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 1,975 tabulated in 2010. It is served by the Albert Gallatin Area School District.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1889
- Area
- 1.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,106 ft
- ZIP code
- 15436
Questions about Fairchance
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fairchance, PA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
What is Fairchance, PA known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Alfred L. Wilson and Norman Park Ramsey.