Best PlacesFairfax, Cleveland, OH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Fairfax, Cleveland, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Fairfax, Cleveland ranks 5,892nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low disaster risk by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Fairfax, Cleveland
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Fairfax, Cleveland's strengths and weaknesses
Where Fairfax, Cleveland ranks high
- Disaster safetyBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- Short commute19.6 minutes each way, better than 82% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 71% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 66% of neighborhoods
Where Fairfax, Cleveland ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Household income$30,410 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Fairfax, Cleveland
A household needs to earn about $17,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Fairfax, Cleveland home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $30,410, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Fairfax, Cleveland's effective rate of 1.42%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 2 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Fairfax, Cleveland
Fairfax, Cleveland runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Fairfax, Cleveland.
Who works in Fairfax, Cleveland, and how
Work in Fairfax, Cleveland centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 72%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 20%
Life in Fairfax, Cleveland
Fairfax, Cleveland has more restaurants and bars per resident than 79% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Fairfax, Cleveland and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Fairfax, Cleveland, month by month
Fairfax, Cleveland sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 31° | 25° |
| April | 60° | 50° | 41° |
| July | 84° | 76° | 69° |
| October | 68° | 59° | 51° |
Flying in and out of Fairfax, Cleveland
Cleveland-Hopkins International sits about 13 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 4.9 million passengers in 2025, with 72 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Fairfax, Cleveland
Schools across Fairfax, Cleveland average a D, better than 12% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Dike School Of ArtsF · 9% proficient
- Mary B Martin SchoolF · 6% proficient
- BoltonF · 5% proficient
Top high schools
- Cleveland School Of Architecture & DesignB− · 43% proficient
- Campus International High SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Fairfax, Cleveland school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Fairfax, Cleveland measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Fairfax, Cleveland against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Fairfax, Cleveland
Is Fairfax, Cleveland a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Fairfax, Cleveland ranks 5,892nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low disaster risk, cheap car insurance, and short commutes, and lowest on a weak job market and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Fairfax, Cleveland expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $59,613. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $30,410 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is Fairfax, Cleveland safe?
Fairfax, Cleveland is safer than 1% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,209 per resident a year.
Compare Fairfax, Cleveland with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Fairfax, Cleveland. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Fairfax, Cleveland represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Fairfax, Cleveland detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Fairfax, Cleveland: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Fairfax, Cleveland: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Fairfax, Cleveland: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Fairfax, Cleveland: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Fairfax, Cleveland detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.