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.

Down paymentRate%

Pittsburg$3,300/mo

Typical home $559K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $2,264/mo · Housing →

Fairfield$3,520/mo

Typical home $599K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.75% · or rent about $2,266/mo · Housing →

The difference: $220 a month, about $2,700 a year, between Fairfield and Pittsburg.

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 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−PittsburgSafer than 18% of U.S. towns C−FairfieldSafer than 17% of U.S. towns

Schools

BPittsburgBetter than 55% of districts in the state BFairfieldBetter than 57% of districts in the state

Health

B−PittsburgHealthier than 49% of U.S. towns BFairfieldHealthier than 60% of U.S. towns

7Pittsburg

13Fairfield

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

Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #536#238 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #770#571 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #287#443 Most activeHealth · 844 towns #624#495 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #568#448 HealthiestHealth · 844 towns #546#446 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #99#184 Most remote workersWork · 801 towns #526#451

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Pittsburg’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

PittsburgFairfield

Snow a year0″0″

January low42°F 40°F

July high88°F 90°F

Growing season (days)346d 336d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)81st 87th

Outdoors & history

PittsburgFairfield

Trails27 mi 33 mi

Conserved land7.4%9.3%

Settled1839 1859

National Register places—1

Archive photos18 12

Famous people born here34 40

Community

PittsburgFairfield

Library hours a week49 hrs 57 hrs

Colleges in town1 1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

18 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PittsburgFairfield

Pittsburg ↔ Fairfield18 miles apart

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.

Only big differences vs California average

PittsburgFairfield

People

Population 76,257Lowest 120,785Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +20.8%Highest CA: +6.1% +13.8%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 36.6±1.2Lowest 3% below CA 36.9±0.6Highest about the CA average

Fairfield and Pittsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 21.8%±1.4Lowest CA: 22% 24.1%±1.1Highest CA: 22%

Fairfield and Pittsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 14.2%±1.1Lowest CA: 15.7% 14.9%±0.8Highest CA: 15.7%

Fairfield and Pittsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.6%Lowest CA: 37.1% 26.6%Highest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.3%±0.9Highest CA: 7.6% 7.2%±0.8Lowest CA: 7.6%

Pittsburg and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $99,861±$6kLowest about the CA average $101,895±$3kHighest about the CA average

Fairfield and Pittsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $597,900±$13kLowest 19% below CA $624,300±$10kHighest 15% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,264±$58Lowest 11% above CA $2,266±$47Highest 11% above CA

Fairfield and Pittsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $4,689Highest 8% below CA $4,677Lowest 9% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 65.9%±6.1Highest CA: 55.3% 65%±4.2Lowest CA: 55.3%

Pittsburg and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 11.2%Highest CA: 12% 10.2%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 62.3%Highest CA: 55.9% 61.3%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1983Lowest 7 yrs newer than CA 1986Highest 10 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 38 minHighest 32% above CA 31 minLowest 7% above CA

Work from home 9.4%±1.3Lowest CA: 17.2% 11.6%±1.4Highest CA: 17.2%

Fairfield and Pittsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 8.8%Lowest 19.5%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.3 miLowest 23.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.45Lowest 0.80Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Concord (9%)Vacaville (6%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in FairfieldFew work in Pittsburg

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 7.4%Lowest 9.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 27.4 miLowest 32.8 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.3 miHighest 0.8 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 25 25

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 74.6Lowest 79.8Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #536 of 574 in CA #238 of 574 in CA

School district Mt. Diablo Unified · Pittsburg UnifiedFairfield-Suisun Unified · Travis Unified

High school in town Pittsburg Senior HighAngelo Rodriguez High

Students per teacherat that high school 21.5Lowest 25.2Highest

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.

Pittsburg neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pittsburg’s Town Square.

Fairfield neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fairfield’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Pittsburg and Fairfield

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

Bordering Pittsburg

+ Compare

Bay Point24,231 people · $525K homes

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Antioch116,477 people · $630K homes

Towns like Pittsburg

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Chino92,652 people · $683K homes

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Lodi67,607 people · $493K homes

+ Compare

Citrus Heights86,995 people · $455K homes

+ Compare

Norwalk99,789 people · $645K 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.

Pittsburg vs Fairfield

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $220 more a month in Fairfield

Fairfield places higher on 13 of 22 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

18 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Pittsburg and Fairfield

Bordering Pittsburg

Towns like Pittsburg

Post to Pittsburg

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