Health in Fairfax
Fairfax differs from South Carolina on 26 of 40 measures. It has fewer binge drinkers (10% vs 15.7%) and fewer adults with depression (18.6% vs 22.3%). Where it trails the state: more adults facing food insecurity (32.3% vs 17.4%).
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Fairfax. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Fairfax
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
22.9% of Fairfax adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 10.5% across South Carolina.
Everyday habits, side by side with South Carolina
Share of adults, with the South Carolina figure marked.
Walk with neighbors
The easiest exercise habit to keep is one with company.
Care in and near Fairfax
1 hospital and 1 community health center in Fairfax, plus the nearest just outside it.
Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Fairfax; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).
How Fairfax adults are doing
On 2 of 4 measures, Fairfax runs above South Carolina.
1 in 3 Fairfax adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.
Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.
Fairfax’s Health Grade: D
On seven CDC health estimates for adults, Fairfax is healthier than 9% of U.S. towns, and than 42% of towns with similar incomes.
Better than its income would suggest. Fairfax is healthier than most towns with similar incomes, even though its overall grade is D.
How the Health Grade works
- Seven CDC estimates. Adults in fair or poor health, frequent physical distress, frequent mental distress, obesity, diabetes, smoking and no exercise (CDC PLACES, 2025 release). On each one a town earns the share of U.S. towns doing worse, and those shares are averaged. It’s the same score as the Healthiest towns in South Carolina ranking.
- Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town with 1,000+ residents and all seven estimates (19,420 places): A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D and D− the bottom 15%. There’s no F.
- Not adjusted for income. Wealthier towns are usually healthier, and the grade shows that as it is. The similar-incomes bar compares Fairfax with U.S. towns whose median household income is within 25% of its own.
- Modeled, not measured. CDC combines national survey answers with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix. High blood pressure is left out because it tracks age more than anything else. The confidence line recomputes the grade with every estimate at the low, then the high, end of its range.
Keeping up with care
Share of Fairfax adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks South Carolina.
Out of every 100 Fairfax adults…
Fairfax runs below SC on 1 of 12 conditions and above it on 9. Tap one to see it as people.
Fairfax is an older town: 29% of residents are 65 or older, vs 19% across South Carolina. Heart disease, copd and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Fairfax as about how healthy they are.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Fairfax adults live with a disability (South Carolina 31.5%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
All 40 CDC measures for Fairfax
| Measure | Fairfax | Likely range | South Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic conditions | ||||
| High blood pressure | 53.2% | 48.7–57.6% | 38.5% | worse |
| High cholesterol | 41.8% | 37.3–46.5% | 38.1% | about the same |
| Obesity | 45.6% | 37–54.1% | 35.8% | worse |
| Arthritis | 36.6% | 32.9–40.4% | 28.5% | worse |
| Depression | 18.6% | 15.7–21.9% | 22.3% | better |
| Lost all teeth (65+) | 23.9% | 20–28.3% | 13.9% | worse |
| Asthma | 11.4% | 10.1–12.9% | 9.6% | worse |
| Cancer (not skin) | 8% | 7.2–8.9% | 8.6% | about the same |
| Diabetes | 23.1% | 20.4–26% | 13.9% | worse |
| COPD | 10.9% | 9.4–12.7% | 7.5% | worse |
| Heart disease | 9.6% | 8.5–10.9% | 6.8% | worse |
| Stroke | 7% | 6.3–7.9% | 3.9% | worse |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 17.2% | 14.5–20.2% | 13.3% | worse |
| Binge drink | 10% | 8–12.1% | 15.7% | better |
| Get no exercise | 39.3% | 33.6–45.3% | 25.8% | worse |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 45.5% | 38.3–53% | 35.8% | worse |
| Care & screenings | ||||
| Yearly checkup | 85% | 82–87.5% | 80.6% | better |
| Dentist visit | 46.4% | 42.6–50.5% | 63.1% | worse |
| Cholesterol check | 88.4% | 86.5–90.1% | 86.9% | about the same |
| Colon screening | 67.4% | 62.3–72.4% | 69.3% | about the same |
| Mammogram | 79.2% | 72.4–85.4% | 77.6% | about the same |
| Taking BP meds | 85.6% | 83.4–87.5% | 80.2% | better |
| No health insurance | 15.8% | 12.7–19.4% | 11.8% | worse |
| Mind & connection | ||||
| Feel lonely | 37.9% | 32.4–43.7% | 31.7% | worse |
| Lack emotional support | 33.2% | 28.7–37.9% | 23.6% | worse |
| Frequent mental distress | 17.1% | 15.1–19.4% | 16.4% | about the same |
| Fair or poor health | 31.4% | 27.3–35.7% | 20.1% | worse |
| Frequent physical distress | 18.1% | 15.8–20.7% | 14% | worse |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Food insecurity | 32.3% | 27.3–37.8% | 17.4% | worse |
| Housing insecurity | 22.7% | 19.3–26.2% | 13.3% | worse |
| Utility shut-off threat | 15.5% | 13.3–17.8% | 8.9% | worse |
| No reliable transportation | 14.1% | 12–16.3% | 8.6% | worse |
| Receive SNAP | 22.9% | 18.8–27.3% | 10.5% | |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 42.5% | 37.4–48% | 31.5% | |
| Walking or climbing stairs | 26.3% | 23.1–30% | 15.4% | |
| Thinking or memory | 17.2% | 15–19.8% | 14.3% | |
| Hearing | 7.9% | 7–9% | 7% | |
| Vision | 10% | 8.7–11.4% | 5.6% | |
| Dressing or bathing | 7.8% | 6.7–8.9% | 4.3% | |
| Errands alone | 13.3% | 11.5–15.2% | 8.7% | |
How CDC estimates town health
CDC combines a large national health survey with each area’s age, sex, race and income mix to estimate local rates. Nobody surveyed Fairfax door to door.
Every figure has a likely range. When the South Carolina figure falls inside it, we don’t call Fairfax better or worse.
CDC publishes Fairfax directly, so these are its own figures.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Fairfax.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The South Carolina figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. The Health Grade is our own summary of CDC’s estimates, not an official rating. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.