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Hayward vs Fairview

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (14.8× in Hayward) and trails (7.7× in Hayward).

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Hayward, CAHometown of 76 notable peopleCalifornia · 158,801 people
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Fairview, CAAn outdoors townCalifornia · 10,745 people
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.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

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

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $850 more a month in Fairview

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.

Hayward$4,760/mo
Typical home $821K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $2,391/mo · Housing →
Fairview$5,610/mo
Typical home $963K (Census) · tax rate 0.70% · or rent about $2,644/mo · Housing →

The difference: $850 a month, about $10,200 a year, between Fairview and Hayward.

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

Fairview places higher on 11 of 19 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.

Where they are

Hayward and Fairview share a border

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

HaywardFairviewHaywardFairview
Hayward ↔ Fairview4.8 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
525 Fairview residents work in Hayward (10.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Fairview →
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
HaywardFairview
Snow a year0″1″
January low—42°F
July high—83°F
Growing season (days)—282d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)92nd84th
Outdoors & history
HaywardFairview
Trails70 mi9 mi
Conserved land30.3%9.5%
Settled1876—
National Register places1—
Archive photos66
Famous people born here76—
Community
HaywardFairview
Library hours a week48 hrs—
Colleges in town3—
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.

HaywardFairview
People
Population 158,801Highest 10,745Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +13%Lowest CA: +6.1% +13.4%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 38.6±0.5Lowest about the CA average 40.9±2.6Highest 8% above CA
Fairview and Hayward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.6%±0.9Highest CA: 22% 18.9%±2.8Lowest CA: 22%
Hayward and Fairview are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.4%±0.7Lowest CA: 15.7% 20.4%±3Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 34%Lowest CA: 37.1% 42.9%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.2%±0.5Highest CA: 7.6% 5.9%±1.7Lowest CA: 7.6%
Hayward and Fairview are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $113,318±$6kLowest 14% above CA $148,667±$17kHighest 50% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $854,400±$13kLowest 16% above CA $963,300±$50kHighest 31% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,391±$46Lowest 17% above CA $2,644±$478Highest 30% above CA
Fairview and Hayward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,739Lowest 12% above CA $6,754Highest 32% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.1%±3.3Highest CA: 55.3% 37.1%±13.3Lowest CA: 55.3%
Below poverty line 9.6%Highest CA: 12% 4.4%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58%Lowest CA: 55.9% 78.8%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Lowest 4 yrs older than CA 1975Highest 1 yr older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 32 minLowest 13% above CA 35 minHighest 22% above CA
Work from home 13.9%±1.1Lowest CA: 17.2% 19.1%±4.4Highest CA: 17.2%
Fairview and Hayward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 13.2%Highest 1.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miLowest 15.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.87Highest 0.17Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Oakland (8%)Oakland (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Fairview10% work in Hayward
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 30.3%Highest 9.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 69.6 miHighest 9.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.1 miLowest 3.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 46Highest 7Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 42.4Lowest 86.5Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #426 of 574 in CA—
School district Eden Area ROP · Impact Academy of Arts & Technology DistrictHayward Unified
High school in town Mt. Eden HighNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 21.9 —
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.

Hayward neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hayward’s Town Square.

Fairview neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fairview’s Town Square.

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Bordering Hayward

Towns like Hayward

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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