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Fairfield vs Vacaville

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (+51% in Vacaville).

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Fairfield, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 120,785 people
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Vacaville, CAHomes around $602KCalifornia · 102,596 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

FairfieldOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 60%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#265 most conserved land in CA33 miles of trails across 25 parks and preserves Housing$599K typical home22% below the CA typical home All about Fairfield →
VacavilleHomes around $602K
Housing$602K typical home21% below the CA typical home Schools#134 for schools in CAof 574 towns Outdoors#190 most conserved land in CA50 miles of trails across 40 parks and preserves All about Vacaville →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Trails+51%
Vacaville has more miles of trail
Vacaville 49.6 miFairfield 32.8 mi
★ What stands out · Where they are

Fairfield and Vacaville share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

FairfieldVacavilleFairfieldVacaville
Fairfield ↔ Vacaville7.5 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
5,416 Vacaville residents work in Fairfield (12.7% of its workers)
3,105 Fairfield residents work in Vacaville (6.4% of its workers)
Work & commute in Vacaville →
Report cards

Vacaville places higher on 17 of 22 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
C−FairfieldSafer than 17% of U.S. towns CVacavilleSafer than 29% of U.S. towns
Schools
BFairfieldBetter than 57% of districts in the state B+VacavilleBetter than 68% of districts in the state
Health
BFairfieldHealthier than 60% of U.S. towns B+VacavilleHealthier than 69% of U.S. towns
4Fairfield
17Vacaville

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #443#218 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #471#249 SafestSafety · 411 towns #315#209 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #238#134 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #571#428 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #394#328 Most activeHealth · 844 towns #495#364 Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #155#90

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Fairfield’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Fairfield$3,520/mo
Typical home $599K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.75% · or rent about $2,266/mo · Housing →
Vacaville$3,520/mo
Typical home $602K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.73% · or rent about $2,299/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
FairfieldVacaville
Snow a year0″0″
January low40°F40°F
July high90°F90°F
Growing season (days)336d336d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th88th
Outdoors & history
FairfieldVacaville
Trails33 mi50 mi
Conserved land9.3%13%
Settled18591852
National Register places13
Archive photos127
Famous people born here4013
Community
FairfieldVacaville
Library hours a week57 hrs63 hrs
Colleges in town1—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

FairfieldVacaville
People
Population 120,785Highest 102,596Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +13.8%Highest CA: +6.1% +10.8%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 36.9±0.6Lowest about the CA average 38.2±0.8Highest about the CA average
Vacaville and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.1%±1.1Highest CA: 22% 21.9%±1.1Lowest CA: 22%
Fairfield and Vacaville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.9%±0.8Lowest CA: 15.7% 15.7%±0.9Highest CA: 15.7%
Vacaville and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 26.6%Lowest CA: 37.1% 28%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.2%±0.8Lowest CA: 7.6% 7.3%±0.8Highest CA: 7.6%
Vacaville and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $101,895±$3kLowest about the CA average $111,126±$3kHighest 12% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $624,300±$10kHighest 15% below CA $620,900±$7kLowest 15% below CA
Fairfield and Vacaville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,266±$47Lowest 11% above CA $2,299±$74Highest 13% above CA
Vacaville and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,677Highest 9% below CA $4,507Lowest 12% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 65%±4.2Highest CA: 55.3% 60.7%±4.1Lowest CA: 55.3%
Fairfield and Vacaville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 10.2%Highest CA: 12% 8.2%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 61.3%Lowest CA: 55.9% 67.5%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1986Highest 10 yrs newer than CA 1985Lowest 9 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 7% above CA 28 minLowest about the CA average
Work from home 11.6%±1.4Lowest CA: 17.2% 12.4%±1.4Highest CA: 17.2%
Vacaville and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 19.5%Lowest 21.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.3 miLowest 25.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.80Highest 0.75Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Vacaville (6%)Fairfield (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 6% work in Vacaville13% work in Fairfield
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 9.3%Lowest 13%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 32.8 miLowest 49.6 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miLowest 1.7 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 25Lowest 40Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 79.8Lowest 87.5Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #238 of 574 in CA#134 of 574 in CA
School district Fairfield-Suisun Unified · Travis UnifiedTravis Unified · Vacaville Unified
High school in town Angelo Rodriguez HighVacaville High
Students per teacherat that high school 25.2Highest 21.3Lowest
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Fairfield neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fairfield’s Town Square.

Vacaville neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vacaville’s Town Square.

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Bordering Fairfield

S
+ Compare
Suisun City29,286 people · $580K homes
G
+ Compare
Green Valley1,364 people · $1.2M homes

Towns like Fairfield

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Antioch116,477 people · $630K homes
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Chino92,652 people · $683K homes
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Tracy96,966 people · $699K homes
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Pittsburg76,257 people · $598K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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