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Cost of living, pay and housing

41.56° N · 88.06° W · GEOID 1724920

Fairmont

Will County, Illinois · part of the Chicago, IL metro

Limited data population under 5,000

IllinoisFairmont, ILFairmontFairmont

The short answer

Fairmont is home to 2,617 people. Median household income is $70,795 a year and median rent is $1,455 a month, 24.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $182,300, about 2.6x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,455
7% above the median place
Median household income
$70,795
12% below the median place
Median home value
$182,300
43% below the median place
Unemployment
7.1%
44% 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 Fairmont

  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $27 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 94% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • The median resident is 32.5 years old, younger than in 89% of places its size.
  • Household income has grown 8.5% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 85% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes 24.7% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 81% of places its size.
  • The median home is worth 2.6 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 81% of places its size.
01

Moving to Fairmont

Will County gains about 0.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in30,302
Moved out29,968
Net+334

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Cook County, IL12,8907,548+5,342
DuPage County, IL5,4693,886+1,583
Kendall County, IL1,0451,694−649
Grundy County, IL8411,236−395
Kane County, IL755814−59
Lake County, IN480834−354

Within Illinois, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IllinoisOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$84K
Leavers$82K

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

Who moves here
4.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.8% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Will County report $83,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $82,300.
Income you would need
$58,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,455 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,428 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $182,300.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 14.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Clifton Heights, PA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.8%
58% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$82,337
17% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
4.6%
20% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureFairmontAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.6%20% below
Moved from another state1County figure0.8%58% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure0.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$83,70619% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$82,33717% above
02

What it costs to live here

Home price to income is 2.6x, 32% below the median place.

Fairmont24.7%
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
$58,200
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
24.7%
21% above the median place
Home price to income
2.6x
32% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
25%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$52,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Fairmont, $1,455 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Fairmont, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Berkeley, IL20.1% vs 24.7%$15,000Compare
Marengo, IL19.2% vs 24.7%$6,000Compare
Primera, TX19.4% vs 24.7%$18,000Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Fairmont? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
1.7%
90% above the median place
Median year built1
1960
1% below the median place
Median home value1
$182,300
43% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureFairmontAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4557% above
Rent to income124.7%21% above
Property tax rate11.7%90% above
Home price to income12.6x32% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure103.63% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,01125% above
HUD area median income4County figure$121,50013% above
Property tax paid (median)1$3,1533% below
Median home value1$182,30043% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.6%44% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure52.5%2% above
Homeownership169.9%5% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure51.5%2% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,42824% below
Vacant homes111.8%68% above
Median year built119601% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$26,216
35% below the median place
Unemployment1
7.1%
44% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Poverty rate15.6% +45%
Median household income$70,795 −12%
Mean commute23 min −6%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureFairmontAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$70,79512% below
Income per person1$26,21635% below
Unemployment17.1%44% above
Average annual pay6County figure$62,4185% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.1%16% below
Jobs6County figure267,86878% above
Poverty rate115.6%45% above
Mean commute123 min6% below
Works from home1County figure14.7%18% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 15.3%, 139% above the median place.

No health insurance1
15.3%
139% above the median place
High school or higher1
80.4%
13% below the median place
Median age1
32.5
17% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher17.5% −45%
Born abroad17.1% +93%
Household size2.8 +10%
Homes with broadband94.0% +2%
All 8 people measures
MeasureFairmontAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,6176646th largest
Median age132.517% below
Bachelor's or higher117.5%45% below
High school or higher180.4%13% below
Household size12.810% above
Born abroad117.1%93% above
No health insurance115.3%139% above
Homes with broadband194.0%2% above
05

Life in Fairmont

38 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents3.8 −62%
Playgrounds per 10k7.6 −19%
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 mi5.0 24.0×

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 bars18.6 −11%
Shops23.8 −21%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.9 −5%
Doctors' offices and clinics23.8 +18%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

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

Public schools12
206
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students12
112,659
above the median place (median 4,897)
Shops per 10k8
23.8
21% below the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureFairmontAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure206above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure112,659above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure14.37% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure18.611% below
Shops per 10k8County figure23.821% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.95% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure23.818% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.822% below
Parks per 10k93.862% below
Playgrounds per 10k97.619% below
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 mi95.0above (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure38192% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 186, 3% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
186
3% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
466
62% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Tornado risk14
99.2
22% above the median place
January average low13
16°F
35% below the median place
Hurricane risk14
26.2
63% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureFairmontAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure84°F3% below
January average low13County figure16°F35% below
Average temperature13County figure51°F8% below
Annual precipitation13County figure39.2 in11% below
Natural hazard risk14County figure97.35% above
Hurricane risk14County figure26.263% below
Tornado risk14County figure99.222% above
Wildfire risk14County figure56.28% below
Heat wave risk14County figure95.56% above
Median air quality index15County figure442% above
Good air days15County figure61.6%10% below
08

Fairmont in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 25% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 25% 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$1,455/mo (2024)$1,860/mo$1,530 to $2,270/mo+4.2%
Median household income$70,795 (2024)$90,500$76,500 to $107,500+4.2%
Median home value$182,300 (2024)$267,000$194,000 to $369,000+6.6%

The median home would be worth 2.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.6 now.

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

09

Places like Fairmont

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

PlaceRentIncome
Clifton Heights, PA$1,430$70,931Compare
Waggaman, LA$1,510$68,374Compare
Andrews, TX$1,350$73,690Compare
Gloucester City, NJ$1,484$64,938Compare
Gloucester City, NJAndrews, TXWaggaman, LAClifton Heights, PAFairmont, ILFairmontClifton HeightsWaggamanAndrewsFairmontWaggamanAndrews

Common questions

Is Fairmont a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Owning with a mortgage costs about $27 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 94% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. The median resident is 32.5 years old, younger than in 89% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 60 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Fairmont expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 24.7% 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 $182,300.

What salary do you need to live in Fairmont?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $58,200 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Fairmont safe?

There were 186 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Fairmont?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Clifton Heights, PA, Waggaman, LA, Andrews, TX and Gloucester City, NJ.

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. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 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
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. 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 Fairmont with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Fairmont itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/fairmont-illinois

Citytistics. “Fairmont, Illinois.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/fairmont-illinois/

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