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Vacaville vs Fairfield

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

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Vacaville, CAHomes around $602KCalifornia · 102,596 people
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Fairfield, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 120,785 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.

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 →
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 →
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

Vacaville and Fairfield share a border

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

VacavilleFairfieldVacavilleFairfield
Vacaville ↔ Fairfield7.5 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
CVacavilleSafer than 29% of U.S. towns C−FairfieldSafer than 17% of U.S. towns
Schools
B+VacavilleBetter than 68% of districts in the state BFairfieldBetter than 57% of districts in the state
Health
B+VacavilleHealthier than 69% of U.S. towns BFairfieldHealthier than 60% of U.S. towns
17Vacaville
4Fairfield

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

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

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

Vacaville$3,520/mo
Typical home $602K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.73% · or rent about $2,299/mo · Housing →
Fairfield$3,520/mo
Typical home $599K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.75% · or rent about $2,266/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
VacavilleFairfield
Snow a year0″0″
January low40°F40°F
July high90°F90°F
Growing season (days)336d336d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)88th87th
Outdoors & history
VacavilleFairfield
Trails50 mi33 mi
Conserved land13%9.3%
Settled18521859
National Register places31
Archive photos712
Famous people born here1340
Community
VacavilleFairfield
Library hours a week63 hrs57 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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.

VacavilleFairfield
People
Population 102,596Lowest 120,785Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +10.8%Lowest CA: +6.1% +13.8%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 38.2±0.8Highest about the CA average 36.9±0.6Lowest 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 21.9%±1.1Lowest CA: 22% 24.1%±1.1Highest CA: 22%
Fairfield and Vacaville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.7%±0.9Highest CA: 15.7% 14.9%±0.8Lowest 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+ 28%Highest CA: 37.1% 26.6%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.3%±0.8Highest CA: 7.6% 7.2%±0.8Lowest 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 $111,126±$3kHighest 12% above CA $101,895±$3kLowest about the CA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $620,900±$7kLowest 15% below CA $624,300±$10kHighest 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 $2,299±$74Highest 13% above CA $2,266±$47Lowest 11% 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 $4,507Lowest 12% below CA $4,677Highest 9% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.7%±4.1Lowest CA: 55.3% 65%±4.2Highest 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 8.2%Lowest CA: 12% 10.2%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.5%Highest CA: 55.9% 61.3%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1985Lowest 9 yrs newer than CA 1986Highest 10 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest about the CA average 31 minHighest 7% above CA
Work from home 12.4%±1.4Highest CA: 17.2% 11.6%±1.4Lowest 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 21.3%Highest 19.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.8 miHighest 23.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.75Lowest 0.80Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Fairfield (13%)Vacaville (6%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 13% work in Fairfield6% work in Vacaville
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 13%Highest 9.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 49.6 miHighest 32.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.7 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 40Highest 25Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 87.5Highest 79.8Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #134 of 574 in CA#238 of 574 in CA
School district Travis Unified · Vacaville UnifiedFairfield-Suisun Unified · Travis Unified
High school in town Vacaville HighAngelo Rodriguez High
Students per teacherat that high school 21.3Lowest 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.

Vacaville neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vacaville’s Town Square.

Fairfield neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fairfield’s Town Square.

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Bordering Vacaville

H
+ Compare
Hartley2,431 people · $841K homes
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Elmira319 people

Towns like Vacaville

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Chino92,652 people · $683K homes
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Tracy96,966 people · $699K homes
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Murrieta112,064 people · $640K homes
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Antioch116,477 people · $630K 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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