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Fairfield vs Carmi

23 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (7.7× in Carmi) and home values (+29% in Carmi).

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Fairfield, ILHomes around $108KIllinois · 4,561 people
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Carmi, ILAn outdoors townIllinois · 4,845 people
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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.

FairfieldHomes around $108K
Housing$108K typical home64% below the IL typical home Outdoors#179 most walkable in IL0.3 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves Health84% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Fairfield →
CarmiAn outdoors town
Outdoors#28 most walkable in IL2.3 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves Housing$99K typical home67% below the IL typical home HistorySettled in 18165 places on the National Register All about Carmi →
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.

Trails7.7×
Carmi has more miles of trail
Carmi 2.3 miFairfield 0.3 mi
Home values+29%
Homes cost more in Carmi
Carmi $114,800Fairfield $88,800
Property tax bill+21%
Tax bills are bigger in Carmi
Carmi $1,861Fairfield $1,539
Street grid+53%
Carmi has the more walkable street grid
Carmi 129Fairfield 83.9
★ What stands out · 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$720/mo
Typical home $108K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.73% · or rent about $585/mo · Housing →
Carmi$660/mo
Typical home $99K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.62% · or rent about $839/mo · Housing →

The difference: $70 a month, about $800 a year, between Fairfield and Carmi.

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.

Report cards

Fairfield places higher on 13 of 21 IL lists

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

Health
C−FairfieldHealthier than 16% of U.S. towns DCarmiHealthier than 13% of U.S. towns
13Fairfield
7Carmi

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 669 towns #621#237 Most-used librariesLibraries · 262 towns #112#183 Cheapest rentCost of living · 840 towns #9#194 Most new homesHousing · 431 towns #326#416 Lowest obesityHealth · 861 towns #737#576 Most walkableOutdoors · 862 towns #179#28 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 861 towns #507#617 Shortest commuteGetting around · 862 towns #106#216

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

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
FairfieldCarmi
Snow a year12″12″
January low—21°F
July high—88°F
Growing season (days)—183d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th70th
Outdoors & history
FairfieldCarmi
Trails0 mi2 mi
Conserved land2.9%2.4%
Settled—1816
National Register places25
Archive photos612
Famous people born here610
Community
FairfieldCarmi
Library hours a week36 hrs41 hrs
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.

Where they are

23 miles apart

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

FairfieldCarmiFairfieldCarmi
Fairfield ↔ Carmi23 miles apart
Who commutes between them
45 Fairfield residents work in Carmi (2.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Fairfield →
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.

FairfieldCarmi
People
Population 4,561Lowest 4,845Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -5.3%Highest -7.2%Lowest
Median age 46.4±5.6Highest 19% above IL 44.2±2.6Lowest 13% above IL
Fairfield and Carmi are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 15.5%±3.1Lowest IL: 21.8% 21.9%±3.8Highest IL: 21.8%
Carmi and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 25.3%±3.3Highest IL: 17% 24.5%±4.3Lowest IL: 17%
Fairfield and Carmi are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14.8%Lowest IL: 37.8% 15.8%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±3.9Highest IL: 6.3% 2.7%±1.7Lowest IL: 6.3%
Fairfield and Carmi are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $41,989±$5kLowest 50% below IL $47,827±$13kHighest 43% below IL
Carmi and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $88,800±$7kLowest 66% below IL $114,800±$14kHighest 56% below IL
Rentmedian gross, monthly $585±$91Lowest 54% below IL $839±$270Highest 34% below IL
Carmi and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,539Lowest 71% below IL $1,861Highest 65% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.3%±11.7Lowest IL: 47.9% 56.6%±8.2Highest IL: 47.9%
Carmi and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 17.7%Lowest IL: 11.8% 21.8%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.6%Lowest IL: 67.1% 69.1%Highest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958Highest 13 yrs older than IL 1956Lowest 15 yrs older than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 35% below IL 21 minHighest 25% below IL
Work from home 2.7%±1.8Lowest IL: 15.9% 4.9%±3.6Highest IL: 15.9%
Carmi and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 31.7%Highest 29.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.8 miLowest 21.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.21Highest 1.09Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Albion (7%)Evansville (6%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in CarmiFew work in Fairfield
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.9%Highest 2.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miLowest 2.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 83.9Lowest 129Highest
Illinois 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.

Carmi neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Carmi’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Fairfield and Carmi

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Fairfield

L
+ Compare
Lamard Township1,385 people · $110K homes
B
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Big Mound Township1,168 people · $97K homes

Towns like Fairfield

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Watseka4,780 people · $104K homes
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Vandalia5,796 people · $99K homes
G
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Grover Township3,540 people · $98K homes
E
+ Compare
East Eldorado Township5,289 people · $88K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Illinois towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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