Census-designated place · Kern County, California

Fairfax (CDP), California

Fairfax is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, part of the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area. It has 1,423 residents. Fairfax (CDP), California has a quality-of-life score of 0 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,623 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #1,049 of 1,062 cities and towns. It ranks best on unemployment rate (low), comfortable days (high) and job growth (high). It ranks worst on bachelor's degree or higher (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high) and high ozone days (high).

0Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,623 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #1,049 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 1,423 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,494.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 0623158

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 78 of 83 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety6#14,711/15,637
Economy23#12,015/15,631
Housing0#14,944/14,977
Health17#12,881/15,609
Healthcare24#11,950/15,650
Environment1#15,252/15,453
Education0#15,617/15,650
Infrastructure5#14,838/15,650
Community3#15,236/15,651
Leisure & amenities24#11,814/15,651
Nature & outdoors—

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Fairfax (CDP), California ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Kern County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100California 5.5%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Comfortable days · high33.6%
91/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationKern County value
Job growth · high2.5%
91/100California 0.9%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataKern County value
Public EV charging ports · high13.9 /10k
89/100California 17.6 /10kUnited States 7.7 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyKern County value
Drought exposure · low1%
88/100California 8%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAKern County value
Public transit commuters · high1.9%
83/100California 2.9%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Bachelor's degree or higher · low2.4%
1/100California 37.1%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003High uncertainty
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high11.9 µg/m³
1/100California 9.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyKern County value
High ozone days · high60 days
2/100California 38 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyKern County value
High school diploma or higher · low51.8%
2/100California 84.7%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100California 32.8%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Days with unhealthy air · high17.8%
3/100California 12.4%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyKern County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
1,778 (2016-2020) → 1,423 (2020-2024)
−20%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
16.8% (2016-2020) → 49.6% (2020-2024)
+33 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 15.7% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
13.5% (2016-2020) → 36.4% (2020-2024)
+23 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 11.9% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
85.7% (2016-2020) → 67.0% (2020-2024)
−19 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.5× (2016-2020) → 8.0× (2020-2024)
+80%4 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
37.3% (2016-2020) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+14 pts4 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.6% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

There is not enough history to compare Fairfax (CDP), California over five years.

Cities and towns like Fairfax (CDP), California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fairfax (CDP), California in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

No place that looked like Fairfax (CDP), California five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,423 residents (±335)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,423 residents (±335)

Fairfax (CDP), California
California share

White14%†202
Black3.0%†43
Hispanic or Latino81%†1,152

Education

801 residents (±210)

Fairfax (CDP), California
California share

No high school diploma48%†386
High school or GED34%†271
Some college9.5%†76

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

425 households (±73)

Fairfax (CDP), California
California share

Under $25k39%†164
$25k–50k23%†97
$50k–75k19%†79
$75k–100k4.5%†19
$100k–150k15%†62
$150k–200k0.9%†4
$200k or more0.0%0

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

425 households (±73)

Fairfax (CDP), California
California share

Own52%†219
Rent48%†206

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

206 households (±70)

Fairfax (CDP), California
California share

Under $75019%†40
$750–1,0007.8%†16
$1,000–1,50029%†60

Home values

219 homes (±69)

Fairfax (CDP), California
California share

Under $150k23%†50
$150k–250k31%†67
$250k–400k22%†48

Age of homes

449 homes (±70)

Fairfax (CDP), California
California share

2010 or later1.8%†8
2000–20093.3%†15
1980–199915%†66

Size of homes

449 homes (±70)

Fairfax (CDP), California
California share

Studio5.1%†23
1 bedroom5.3%†24
2 bedrooms36%†160

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

518 workers (±172)

Fairfax (CDP), California
California share

Drive alone91%†471
Carpool7.1%†37
Public transit1.9%†10
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home0.0%0
Other0.0%0

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

518 workers (±172)

Fairfax (CDP), California
California share

Under 15 min10%†52
15–29 min72%†375
30–44 min6.8%†35

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Bakersfield-Delano, CA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Kern County, the county holding most of Fairfax's residents.

Kern County has 14,352 employer establishments, 156 for every 10,000 residents (0.63× the US rate of 248; 0.60× California's), with 219,016 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,579. The Census Bureau also counts 59,790 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 14,352; 59,790 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 156; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 219,016
Average annual pay: $56,579; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Kern County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,371	14.9	0.72×Fewer than typical	15,772	$67,137	1,914
Restaurants and other eating places	1,352	14.7	0.80×About typical	25,258	$24,177	329
Truck transportation	921	10	1.98×More than typical	5,869	$58,647	5,727
Specialty trade contractors	912	9.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	9,058	$63,643	2,757
Limited-service restaurants	717	7.8	0.97×About typical	14,090	$22,253	148
Lessors of real estate	604	6.6	0.53×Fewer than typical	2,173	$49,166	4,115
Offices of physicians	515	5.6	0.87×About typical	4,885	$76,718	343
Full-service restaurants	450	4.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	8,165	$27,687	107
Automotive repair and maintenance	415	4.5	0.90×About typical	2,274	$44,248	1,251
Building equipment contractors	402	4.4	0.73×Fewer than typical	4,749	$67,403	623
Services to buildings and dwellings	349	3.8	0.56×Fewer than typical	2,476	$37,973	4,322
Management, scientific and technical consulting	306	3.3	0.50×Fewer than typical	1,215	$70,695	1,163

Rank places for an industry Open Kern County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 917,599 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Public schools

Public schools located in Fairfax (CDP), California and the districts that run them (NCES Common Core of Data). Students per teacher counts full-time-equivalent teachers, not the size of each class.

Fairfax (CDP), California has 3 public schools with 2,023 students and 21.9 students per teacher (California: 21.6, US: 15.2).

3 schools serve free meals to every student.

Elementary schools: 2
Middle schools: 1
High schools: 0
Students per teacher: 21.9; US: 15.2

State test results

Students proficient at the 3 schools here with results (grades 3–8, 2024–25 school year), against California as a whole.

Reading: 33% proficient; California: 47%
Math: 23% proficient; California: 38%

Each state sets its own test and its own bar for “proficient”, so results compare only within a state. Results also follow family income closely: a school's share reflects its students' circumstances as much as its teaching.

Data sourced from the Education Data Center (www.eddatacenter.org), a partner project of the National Center for Civic Innovation, Inc. State Assessment Data Repository version 3.1. More information about these assessments over time, including participation and test changes, is available from the Education Data Center.

School districts

Districts with schools here, by students here.

District	Schools	Students	Spending / student
Fairfax Elementary	3	2,023	$19,076

Largest schools

School	Grades	Students	Students / teacher	Reading	Math	District
Zephyr Lane ElementaryFree meals for all	K–6	797	24.2	28%	22%	Fairfax Elementary
Shirley Lane ElementaryFree meals for all	K–6	617	22.0	39%	31%	Fairfax Elementary
Fairfax Junior High

All 3 schools

Sources

Public schools and school districts (National Center for Education Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau), 2024–25 school year. NCES Common Core of Data and EDGE public school geocodes; U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances and cartographic boundary files (places).
State Assessment Data Repository (Education Data Center), 2024–25 school year. Data sourced from the Education Data Center (www.eddatacenter.org), a partner project of the National Center for Civic Innovation, Inc. State Assessment Data Repository v3.1.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Fairfax is mostly in Kern County.

See federal money in Kern County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Fairfax (CDP), California is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).