Fairwood Library, 2010
Fairwood’s story
Fairwood in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 5 maps from 1949 on.
Explore the history →FairwoodKing County, WA
A town of 17,856.
Population
17,856
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$733K
Census ACS
Household income
$122K
median
Median age
38.5
years
Jobs based here
1,921
A commuter town
TownGrade
B−
#127 of 285 in WA
Is Fairwood a good place to live?
Fairwood grades B− overall, ranked 127th of 285 in Washington, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it has 9 miles of trail. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $733K, 6.4 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Fairwood’s trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile, above both the Washington town median (0.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Fairwood is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. Petrovitsky Park, at 90 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
What makes Fairwood stand out
Where Fairwood beats most towns.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Fairwood for work
Where Fairwood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,921jobs based in Fairwood
2%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Fairwood grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Fairwood is from typical.
HealthValley Medical Center 3.4 miles awayAOpen →Cost of livingDOpen →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 10.2 of 20; 4% of households have no carA−Open →Jobs & income$122K median household incomeB+Open →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 153 attractions →Space Needle and 136 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairwood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
13 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
14 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
16 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Space Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0
Getting set up
Moving to Fairwood: who provides what
Fairwood is unincorporated, so King County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPuget Sound Energy17.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCedar River Water & Sewer DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesKing CountyKing County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereKing County ElectionsKing County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2021
ZIP code9805898058 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Fairwood.
Fairwood has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and sends most of its workers to Seattle and beyond.
OutdoorsA−
Fairwood has set aside 4.6% of its land for conservation
9.3 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves.
#33for trails in WA
4.6%
conserved · 138 of 3,014 acres
9.3 mi
of trails · 2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Petrovitsky Park | 1 mi | 90 |
| 2. McGarvey Park Open Space | 0.9 mi | 89 |
| 3. Soos Creek Park and Trails | — | 85 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsB−
Public schools in Fairwood fall behind 54% of Washington districts
Its public schools are run by the Kent School District. One of its 4 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
46%of WA districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeker Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 779 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
HealthA
Fairwood’s grade for health is an A
24% of adults have obesity in Fairwood, against 33% in Washington’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 8.6% of Fairwood adults smoke cigarettes. Fairwood beats the Washington average on 14 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
94%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Fairwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 25% |
31 measures vs. Washington
14 better17 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Fairwood | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with obesity | 24.1% | 30.6% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 9% |
Valley Medical Center
3.4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
86th
percentile among WA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Earthquakes leads a very high hazard risk in Fairwood
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 81% of U.S. communities.
81risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most working residents commute out of Fairwood
Fairwood has 1,921 jobs for its 9,098 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. The average commute takes 33.6 minutes, against 26.6 across Washington.
Most working residents leave Fairwood for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Fairwood is 34 minutes. Since 2013, Fairwood has added 551 jobs, to 1,921 in 2023.
2%work in town
| Fairwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 15% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $122,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 5% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Fairwood2%
Seattle27%
Renton11%
Bellevue11%
Kent9%
12 mi
median commute distance
1,921
jobs based in Fairwood
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Fairwood, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons average 75.8°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.5°.
Fairwood has mild winters and cool summers. Fairwood’s July high is 76°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
6″snow a winter
| Fairwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 76°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter35–47°
Spring42–59°
Summer54–74°
Fall45–60°
Nov 10
typical first frost
Mar 20
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fairwood
17pages on Fairwood
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
11 within 15 miles of the center of Fairwood
Renton Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Renton3.3 mi$6,308 in-state tuitionHighline CollegeCommunity college · Public · Des Moines8.5 mi$4,772 in-state tuitionGreen River CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Auburn9.3 mi$4,711 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Fairwood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
About Fairwood
Census-designated place in Washington, United States
Fairwood is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 19,396.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 656 ft
- Area code
- 425
Fairwood’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Fairwood.
RentonMaple Heights-Lake DesireFairwood
How the neighbors grade
| Town | WA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairwood | #127 | B− | D | — | B− | A |
| Renton | #193 | C | D | D | C+ | A |
| Maple Heights-Lake Desire | #124 | B− | D− | — | B+ | A+ |
Fairwood and Maple Heights-Lake Desire report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Fairwood with a neighbor →
Questions about Fairwood
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fairwood, WA a good place to live?
Fairwood grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #127 of 285 in Washington. It grades A for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Fairwood, WA expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.