Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,931, settled in 1942.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Fairchild AFB grades A− overall, ranked 27th of 285 in Washington. Natural-hazard risk is low. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 86% of the country and its schools outperform 86% of the state's. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about for a typical one and times the Spokane metro’s $77K median household income. Fairchild AFB’s average trip to work is 10 minutes, against 27 minutes in Washington’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. No town in Washington scores lower than Fairchild AFB on cost of living. Fairchild AFB is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Fairchild AFB beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Fairchild AFB | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.6% | 7.9% |
Where Fairchild AFB’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Fairchild AFB is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 6,754 in 1970, 2,695 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1950 and 4 maps from 1943 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairchild AFB. Close and well known come first.
39 mi LakeCoeur D'Alene Lake
11 mi Stadium & arenaNumerica Veterans Arena
11 mi Theme parkRiverfront Park
11 mi GardenManito Park and Botanical Gardens33 mi Ski areaMt. Spokane61 runs · 1,974 ft vertical
10 mi MuseumNorthwest Museum of Arts and CultureCoeur D'Alene Lake: The original uploader was Jamidwyer at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 · Numerica Veterans Arena: Jdubman at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Riverfront Park: en:User:Sundodger, Public domain · Manito Park and Botanical Gardens: Jdubman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture: Murderbike, Public domain
Fairchild AFB is unincorporated, so Spokane 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 Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Fairchild AFB.
Fairchild AFB carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Washington (mostly inland flooding), has less cancer than most of Washington and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Washington.
Only 0% of households own their home, against 63.8% across Washington.
The median age in Fairchild AFB is 22.6 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 57% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 11% of residents (38% statewide). 32% of Fairchild AFB residents are under 18.
| Fairchild AFB | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 22.6 years | 38.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 32% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 30% | 29% |
42% women, 58% men
About 141 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.8 points). Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women. Among residents 35 to 44, 63% are women (WA 49%). Median age: women 23.1, men 22.5.
| Fairchild AFB | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 25.6% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.3% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 26.6% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 30.6% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.8% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 3.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 0% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 0% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 0% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 14.7% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 32.5% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.9% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.2% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,900, single groups can be off by several points
Its public schools are run by the Medical Lake School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Anderson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 459 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Washington towns, with expected losses of about $182 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Fairchild AFB’s FEMA risk score is 1 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its widest gap with Washington is cancer: 1.6% of its 1,866 adults have had cancer, against 7.9% statewide.
2.7% of adults have diabetes in Fairchild AFB. Of the 285 Washington towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Fairchild AFB. 8.3% of adults report frequent physical distress in Fairchild AFB.
| Fairchild AFB | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 2.7% | 9.8% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 17% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Fairchild AFB | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 1.2% | 5.4% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 29.3% | 70.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 848 in 2013 to 250. The average commute for its 398 working residents takes 9.7 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
Most working residents leave Fairchild AFB for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Fairchild AFB fell to 250 in 2023, 598 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Spokane (25%), Seattle (9%) and Spokane Valley (6%).
| Fairchild AFB | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2% | 5% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 24°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 85% of Washington places with climate records; July afternoons average 84°.
Fairchild AFB has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. About 45 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Fairchild AFB | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 84°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 24°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.9 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Warrior Park, 20 acres with 1.3 miles of trail.
| Fairchild AFB | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Warrior Park | 1.3 mi | 20 |
| 2. Miller Park | 0.1 mi | 13 |
| 3. Heritage Airpark | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
7 within 15 miles of the center of Fairchild AFB
About 10 of every 100 Fairchild AFB residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
US Air Force base near Spokane, Washington, US
Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: SKA, ICAO: KSKA, FAA LID: SKA) is a United States Air Force base, located in the northwest United States in eastern Washington, approximately twelve miles (20 km) southwest of Spokane. The host unit at Fairchild is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. The 92 ARW is responsible for providing air refueling, as well as passenger and cargo airlift and aero-medical evacuation missions supporting U.S. and coalition conventional operations as well as U.S. Strategic Command strategic deterrence missions. Fairchild AFB was established 84 years ago in 1942 as the Spokane Army Air Depot. and is named in …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Fairchild AFB grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #27 of 285 in Washington. It grades A for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
