What it's like to live in Fairview
Fairview is a small city in Oregon with commutes that run shorter than most cities and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Fairview deals with rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average.
The good
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
How Fairview compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Fairview
Based on Fairview's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,274
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $65,480 a year
- 49% of Fairview renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$85,540
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $42,770
- Homes cost 6.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 16% above US
$1,637/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,637 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices run above average, with a median around $427,700. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $427,700 · 49% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.1% county unemployment
Unemployment in Multnomah County is 5.1%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Multnomah County (county-wide)
Safety
476 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Fairview doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 2006/100k · Policed by Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 13% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 22.7 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 16% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 37°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 33% below US
24% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 24%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (12 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Fairview's strongest point is commutes that run shorter than most cities; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,637/mo) equals 28% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (16% of workers here already work from home).
Other places near Fairview
All Oregon guides →Not sure Fairview is the one?
Put it side by side with another city.