Fairfield, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

9,456

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

1.23% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

20.7%

8.06% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$51,311

6.23% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$156,000

Population & Diversity

Fairfield, IA is home to a population of 9.46k people, from which 82.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 20.4% of Fairfield, IA residents were born outside of the country (1.93k people).

In 2024, there were 6.52 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (7.18k people) in Fairfield, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.1k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 368 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

82.7%

2024 Citizenship

86.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 82.7% of Fairfield, IA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Fairfield, IA was 86.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Fairfield, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Fairfield, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
7.18k ± 245
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
1.1k ± 216
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
368 ± 49

4.75%

Hispanic Population

449 people

4.75% of the people in Fairfield, IA are hispanic (449 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Fairfield, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
44,333 ± 5,134 people
India
11,889 ± 2,672 people
Guatemala
8,189 ± 2,219 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 44,333 Iowa residents, followed by India with 11,889 and Guatemala with 8,189.

Foreign-Born Population

20.4%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.93k people

17.2%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.62k people

As of 2024, 20.4% of Fairfield, IA residents (1.93k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Fairfield, IA was 17.2%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Fairfield, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
164 ± 72
Gulf War (2001-)
122 ± 97
Gulf War (1990s)
53 ± 64

Fairfield, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.34 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Fairfield, IA.

Economy

The economy of Fairfield, IA employs 3.97k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Fairfield, IA were Retail Trade (557 people), Educational Services (546 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (527 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($73,281), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($63,931), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($59,875).

Employment

Occupations

3.97k

2024 Value

± 495

−9.75%

1 Year decline

± 19.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fairfield, IA declined at a rate of −9.75%, from 4.4k employees to 3.97k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Fairfield, IA, are Sales & Related Occupations (559 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (414 people), and Computer & Mathematical Occupations (337 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Fairfield, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

3.97k

2024 Value

± 495

−9.75%

1 Year decline

± 19.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fairfield, IA declined at a rate of −9.75%, from 4.4k employees to 3.97k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Fairfield, IA, are Retail Trade (557 people), Educational Services (546 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (527 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Fairfield, IA, though some of these residents may live in Fairfield, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$41,297

Median earning men ± $8,374

$21,738

Median earning women ± $8,996

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($74,219), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($71,354), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($46,458).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($48,438), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,083), and Construction ($37,361).

Education

The student population of Fairfield, IA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,073 male students and 1,519 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Fairfield, IA are White (172 and 39.9%), Unknown (113 and 26.2%), Black or African American (65 and 15.1%), and Hispanic or Latino (35 and 8.12%).

The largest universities in Fairfield, IA by number of degrees awarded are Maharishi International University (843 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Fairfield, IA are Computer Science (416 and 49.3%), General Business Administration & Management (117 and 13.9%), and Ayurvedic Medicine (87 and 10.3%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $16,000.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Fairfield, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 95.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 75.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 2,592 (41.4% men and 58.6% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 2,592 students enrolled in Fairfield, IA, 41.4% men and 58.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Non-resident Alien with 902 records, of which 26.5% were women and 73.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Computer Science
411 degrees awarded
Ayurvedic Medicine
87 degrees awarded
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies
25 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Masters Degree recipients in Fairfield, IA was Computer Science with 411 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Masters Degree from schools in Fairfield, IA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Maharishi International University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

843 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Maharishi International University with 843 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 460 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Fairfield, IA, which is 1.2 times more than the 383 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 172 degrees mean that there were 1.52 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 113 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($16,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($530) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Fairfield, IA was $156,000 in 2024, which is 0.469 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $152,900 to $156,000, a 2.03% increase. The homeownership rate in Fairfield, IA is 60%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Fairfield, IA have an average commute time of 13.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Fairfield, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$156,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,693

$2,467

Median Property Taxes

±$353

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Fairfield, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Fairfield, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

60%

Homeownership

2024

64.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60% of the housing units in Fairfield, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 56.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Fairfield, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$51,311

Median Household Income

± $10,729

4.12k

Number of Households

± 451

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.12k households in Fairfield, IA grew to $51,311 from the previous year's value of $48,302.

The following chart displays the households in Fairfield, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Fairfield, IA is from Iowa.

0.435

2024 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2024, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.435 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.29% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (60.1%)
Worked At Home (25%)
Walked (6.04%)

In 2024, 60.1% of workers in Fairfield, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (25%) and those who walked to work (6.04%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

13.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Fairfield, IA have a shorter commute time (13.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.75% of the workforce in Fairfield, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Fairfield, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Fairfield, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Fairfield, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

20.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Fairfield, IA (1.75k out of 8.42k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 25 - 34, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Fairfield, IA is Asian, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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