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
TownGrade
B−
#127 of 285 in WA
This town in Washington has a population 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
Is Fairwood a good place to live?
Fairwood’s strongest subject is health (A): residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Incomes are a strength too (B+) — the median household earns $122K. Where it falls short is cost of living (D): the typical home is worth about $733K, 6.4 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. Overall, that makes a B−, good for 127th of 285 in Washington. It comes out better than 50% of U.S. towns. Its concentration of trails is 2.0 miles per square mile, above both the Washington town median (0.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Petrovitsky Park, at 90 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. The town is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
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 livingHomes are among the least affordable for local incomesDOpen →Hazard riskEarthquakes top the listC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 10.2 of 20; 4% of households have no carA−Open →Jobs & incomeAhead of most towns comparedB+Open →SchoolsNear typical for the towns comparedB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors9 miles of trails; 5% conserved landA−Open →HistoryLittle recorded history by comparisonDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Fairwood stand out
Where Fairwood beats most towns.
31 measures vs. Washington
14 better17 too close to call0 worse
| Widest gap | Fairwood | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with obesity | 24.1% | 30.6% |
HealthA
Beats WA on 14 of 31 CDC measures, trails it on none
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 77% of U.S. towns
2.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
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
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−
Open space protected for good: 4.6% of Fairwood
#33for trails in WA
For Fairwood, the concentration of trails is 2.0 miles per square mile. Across 7 parks and preserves: 9.3 miles of trail.
| Fairwood | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.0 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.6% | 4% | 4.3% |
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
46%of WA districts it outscoresB−School Grade
One of its 4 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the Kent School District. The 4 public schools in Fairwood teach 1,870 students between them.
| 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
94%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
Fairwood: 16% of adults report frequent mental distress. Two figures for adults here: 8.6% smoke cigarettes, 11% report frequent physical distress.
| 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−
Natural hazards: very high risk in Fairwood, mostly earthquakes
81risk score of 100
Fairwood’s risk rating from FEMA comes in at 81 of 100. Expected losses in Fairwood break down as 55% from earthquakes and 43% from inland flooding.
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Most people working in Fairwood commute elsewhere
2%work in town
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.
For most workers, Fairwood is a place to come home to: only 2% work in town. Employers in Fairwood added 551 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,921. The share of workers in Fairwood who work from home: 27%. Half the trips to work are shorter than 12 miles.
| 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
Fairwood: four seasons and pleasant summers
6″snow a winter
July afternoons average 75.8°, cooler than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 35.5°.
In Fairwood, the midsummer high is 76°F. About 6 inches of snow falls in 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
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.
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.
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