City · Jefferson County, Iowa

Fairfield, Iowa

Fairfield is a city in Jefferson County, Iowa. It has 9,456 residents. Fairfield, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 70 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,697 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #207 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on preventable hospital stays (low), average commute time (low) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on adult obesity (high), income inequality (Gini index) (high) and pharmacies (low).

70High

Quality-of-life score: #4,697 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #207 of 281 in IA
Population: 9,456 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 1,429.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 1926445

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 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.

Safety89#1,697/15,637
Economy22#12,201/15,631
Housing58#6,353/14,977
Health44#8,800/15,609
Healthcare45#8,574/15,650
Environment88#1,853/15,453
Education91#1,363/15,649
Infrastructure46#8,466/15,650
Community70#4,750/15,651
Leisure & amenities63#5,846/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Fairfield, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Jefferson 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

Preventable hospital stays · low1,306 /100k
98/100Iowa 2,368 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJefferson County value
Average commute time · low13.2 min
98/100Iowa 19.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Iowa 2.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataJefferson County value
Property crime rate · low451 /100k
92/100Iowa 1,172 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationJefferson County value
High school diploma or higher · high97.2%
91/100Iowa 93.3%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Time spent in the emergency room · low118 min
88/100Iowa 128 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesJefferson County value

Weaknesses

Adult obesity · high45.2%
4/100Iowa 39.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.549
5/100Iowa 0.444United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Pharmacies · low0.6 /10k
5/100Iowa 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJefferson County value
Unemployment rate · high11.8%
6/100Iowa 3.5%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Flu vaccinations · low29.0%
7/100Iowa 51.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJefferson County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Iowa 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesJefferson County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
10,290 (2015-2019) → 9,456 (2020-2024)
−8.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
1.8 /1k (2021) → 0.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−88%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
40.0% (2015-2019) → 52.9% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.5% (2015-2019) → 88.4% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
4.8% (2015-2019) → 12.3% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Average commute timeWorsening
10.0 min (2015-2019) → 13.2 min (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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.

Over about five years, Fairfield, Iowa improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Bachelor's++13 points40.0% → 52.9%
Broadband+7.9 points80.5% → 88.4%

Declined1

Uninsured+7.6 points4.8% → 12.3%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Fairfield, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	10.0 min2015-2019	13.2 min2020-2024	+3.2 min	Within the margin of error	18%
Bachelor's degree or higher	40.0%2015-2019	52.9%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	95%
Broadband subscriptions	80.5%2015-2019	88.4%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Improved	49%
Effective property tax rate	1.87%2015-2019	1.57%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	73%
High school diploma or higher	94.4%2015-2019	97.2%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	65%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5432015-2019	0.5492020-2024	+0.006	Within the margin of error	45%
Median household income	$40,9202015-2019	$51,3112020-2024	+25%	Within the margin of error	45%
Poverty rate	14.5%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	+6.2 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Rent as share of income	31.3%2015-2019	35.7%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Rent-burdened households	52.1%2015-2019	56.9%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Unemployment rate	8.7%2015-2019	11.8%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.8%2015-2019	12.3%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Declined	5%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Fairfield, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fairfield, Iowa 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.

For comparison, Fairfield, Iowa itself moved −0.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

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

9,456 residents (±18)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

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

Household income

4,115 households (±239)

Fairfield, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k25%1,049
$25k–50k23%955
$50k–75k17%717

Homes

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

Owners and renters

4,115 households (±239)

Fairfield, Iowa
Iowa share

Own60%2,467
Rent40%1,648

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,957 workers (±329)

Fairfield, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone60%2,379
Carpool4.8%†188
Public transit0.0%0

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 Jefferson County, the county holding most of Fairfield's residents.

Jefferson County has 608 employer establishments, 393 for every 10,000 residents (1.58× the US rate of 248; 1.52× Iowa's), with 6,922 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,789. The Census Bureau also counts 1,704 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 608; 1,704 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 393; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 6,922
Average annual pay: $51,789; US $68,342

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

Management, scientific and technical consulting	46	29.7	4.43×More than typical	72	$49,403	80
Restaurants and other eating places	35	22.6	1.23×About typical	309	$19,061	6
Specialty trade contractors	28	18.1	1.17×About typical	199	$56,658	122
Ambulatory health care services	26	16.8	0.81×About typical	80	$55,488	78
Full-service restaurants	17	11	1.43×More than typical	82	$25,707	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	16	10.3	2.54×More than typical	44	$44,591	24
Computer systems design and related services	16	10.3	2.39×More than typical	46	$62,696	30
Lessors of real estate	16	10.3	0.84×About typical	26	$36,769	162
Religious organizations	16	10.3	1.87×More than typical	42	$19,619	—
Schools, colleges and instruction	15	9.7	2.77×More than typical	802	$31,990	71
Construction of buildings	14	9.1	1.20×About typical	22	$42,500	70
Truck transportation	14	9.1	1.79×More than typical	118	$45,881	23

Rank places for an industry Open Jefferson County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 15,464 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.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $14.9K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fairfield, Iowa: $1.58 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $14.9K; +22% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.58; US $1,994
Sole-source: 8.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Office of the Chief Financial Officer$11.8K79%
Environmental Protection Agency$1,94713%
Department of Veterans Affairs$1,2118.1%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

1.4KFY2017
453.5FY2018
200.7FY2019
10.7KFY2023
11.2KFY2024
12.2KFY2025
14.9KFY2026

What was bought

Research & development

Top industries (NAICS)

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$13.7K92%
Audio and video equipment manufacturing · 3343$1,2118.1%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Fairfield, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Fairfield, Iowa's figures are part of those of Jefferson County, IA ($412.6K in FY2026), never added to them: 3.6% of that total.

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

See federal money in Jefferson 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.

Fairfield, Iowa is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Mariannette Miller-MeeksR-IA-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 3.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Jefferson County90100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Jefferson County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1926445

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends