CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

37.08° N · 120.19° W · GEOID 0623210

Fairmead

Madera County, California · part of the Fresno, CA metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_home_value

CaliforniaFairmead, CAFairmeadFairmead

The short answer

Fairmead is home to 1,229 people. Median household income is $46,680 a year and median rent is $1,418 a month, 36.5% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). That is above the usual 30% line for cost burden. The median home is valued at $393,200, about 8.4x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,418
4% above the median place
Median household income
$46,680
42% below the median place
Median home value
$393,200
23% above the median place
Unemployment
10.1%
107% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Fairmead

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 8.8% a year while household income rose -7.3%, so rent outran pay by more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 654 California places.
  • Only 0% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 615 California places.
  • After the median rent, and with prices for everything else adjusted to the US average, the median household has about $28,700 a year left, less than in 98% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes 36.5% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 98% of places its size.
  • The median home is worth 8.4 years of the median household's income, more than in 97% of places its size.
01

Moving to Fairmead

Madera County gains about 7.3 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in6,341
Moved out5,411
Net+930

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within California, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within CaliforniaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$63K
Leavers$53K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Madera County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Madera County report $63,200 a year in income on average; those leaving, $52,500, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$56,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,418 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,582 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $393,200.
Getting to work
26 minutes each way on average; 0.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Lemon Hill, CA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving out7
$52,519
25% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureFairmeadAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure7.3above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$63,18510% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$52,51925% below
02

What it costs to live here

Rent to income is 36.5%, 79% above the median place.

Fairmead36.5%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$56,720
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
36.5%
79% above the median place
Home price to income
8.4x
122% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
36%
over the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$29,000
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Fairmead, $1,418 a month, and local prices for everything else (103.5 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Fairmead.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Fairmead? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
52.2%
21% below the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
57.9%
14% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.7%
23% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureFairmeadAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4184% above
Rent to income136.5%79% above
Property tax rate10.7%23% below
Home price to income18.4x122% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure102.21% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,46010% below
HUD area median income4County figure$82,20023% below
Property tax paid (median)1County figure$2,75616% below
Median home value1County figure$393,20023% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.2%62% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure49.6%4% below
Homeownership152.2%21% below
Renters paying 30%+157.9%14% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,58215% below
Vacant homes1County figure11.1%57% above
Median year built119860% above
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 0.0%, below the median place (median 12.4%).

Works from home1
0.0%
below the median place (median 12.4%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
32.4%
201% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$22,147 −45%
Median household income$46,680 −42%
Mean commute26 min +4%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureFairmeadAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$46,68042% below
Income per person1$22,14745% below
Unemployment1County figure10.1%107% above
Average annual pay6County figure$57,88712% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.2%14% below
Jobs6County figure58,07761% below
Poverty rate132.4%201% above
Mean commute126 min4% above
Works from home10.0%below (median 12.4%)
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Homes with broadband is 56.5%, 39% below the median place.

Homes with broadband1
56.5%
39% below the median place
High school or higher1
57.4%
38% below the median place
Median age1
28.8
26% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size3.3 +33%
Bachelor's or higher12.8% −60%
Born abroad26.5% 3.0×
All 8 people measures
MeasureFairmeadAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,2296646th largest
Median age128.826% below
Bachelor's or higher112.8%60% below
High school or higher157.4%38% below
Household size13.333% above
Born abroad126.5%200% above
No health insurance1County figure7.4%16% above
Homes with broadband156.5%39% below
05

Life in Fairmead

4 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.0 −100%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.1 −38%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars13.7 −34%
Shops21.5 −29%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.2 −46%
Doctors' offices and clinics10.7 −47%
Child care centers1.6 −30%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Shops per 10k8
21.5
29% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
13.7
34% below the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
10.7
47% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureFairmeadAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure81above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure32,251above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure20.231% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure13.734% below
Shops per 10k8County figure21.529% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.246% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure10.747% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.630% below
Parks per 10k90.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.0below (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.138% below
National Register listings10County figure469% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 99.4, 62% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Fairmead. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk13
99.4
62% above the median place
Tornado risk13
19.3
76% below the median place
Annual precipitation12
22.4 in
49% below the median place
All 10 weather and risk measures
MeasureFairmeadAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure90°F3% above
January average low12County figure32°F29% above
Average temperature12County figure57°F3% above
Annual precipitation12County figure22.4 in49% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure96.44% above
Tornado risk13County figure19.376% below
Wildfire risk13County figure99.462% above
Heat wave risk13County figure97.89% above
Median air quality index14County figure5016% above
Good air days14County figure50.4%26% below
08

Fairmead in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 40% of the median income in 2030, up from 36% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,418/mo (2024)$1,870/mo$1,530 to $2,280/mo+4.7%
Median household income$46,680 (2024)$56,500$47,500 to $66,500+3.2%
Median home value$220,700 (2023)$315,000$223,000 to $446,000+5.2%

The median home would be worth 5.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Fairmead

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Lemon Hill, CA$1,421$48,762Compare
Florida City, FL$1,362$47,482Compare
Madera, CA$1,353$63,933Compare
Hillcrest, CA$1,259$46,285Compare
Hillcrest, CAMadera, CAFlorida City, FLLemon Hill, CAFairmead, CAFairmeadLemon HillFlorida CityHillcrestFairmeadLemon HillFlorida CityHillcrest

Common questions

Is Fairmead a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 8.8% a year while household income rose -7.3%, so rent outran pay by more than in 99% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 654 California places. Only 0% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 615 California places. On cost, space and class size it scores 5 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Fairmead expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 36.5% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $393,200.

What salary do you need to live in Fairmead?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $56,720 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Fairmead?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Lemon Hill, CA, Florida City, FL, Madera, CA and Hillcrest, CA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Fairmead with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Fairmead itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/fairmead-california

Citytistics. “Fairmead, California.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/fairmead-california/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.