What it's like to live in Fairwood (King County)
Fairwood (King County) is a small city in Washington with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Fairwood (King County) deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and a population that has been shrinking.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Shrinking population
How Fairwood (King County) compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Fairwood (King County)
Based on Fairwood (King County)'s median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,466
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $89,320 a year
- 43% of Fairwood (King County) renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$146,640
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $73,320
- Homes cost 6.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 58% above US
$2,233/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,233 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $733,200. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $733,200 · 43% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.5% county unemployment
Unemployment in King County is 4.5%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
King County (county-wide)
Safety
167 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Fairwood (King County) doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the King County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 985/100k · Policed by King County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 29% above US
34 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 33.6 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 27% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 75°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 37°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 40% above US
50% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Wing Luke Museum Affiliated Area (13 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Fairwood (King County)'s strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,233/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (27% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who dread long commutes.
See all the data for Fairwood (King County) →·All Washington cities →
Other places near Fairwood (King County)
All Washington guides →Moving to Renton →
3 mi away · pop. 105,317
Rent $1,998/mo · Income $100,432
Compare with Fairwood (King County) →Moving to East Renton Highlands →
3 mi away · pop. 12,582
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Compare with Fairwood (King County) →Moving to Bryn Mawr-Skyway →
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