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Place dossier plate
SheetAR-FAIRFIELD-BAY-AR · Fairfield Bay, AR 2,247 pop · income 27th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Fairfield Bay
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Fairfield Bay on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Melbourne · lowest
34,303
Melbourne · lowest
34,303 median HH income
44.2% of the leader · rank #1
Juniata · near
54,722
Juniata · near
54,722 median HH income
70.5% of the leader · rank #2
Big Run · near
54,722
Big Run · near
54,722 median HH income
70.5% of the leader · rank #3
Fairfield Bay · this city
54,735
Fairfield Bay · this city
54,735 median HH income
70.5% of the leader · rank #4
Baldwin · near
54,741
Baldwin · near
54,741 median HH income
70.5% of the leader · rank #5
Palmetto · near
54,745
Palmetto · near
54,745 median HH income
70.5% of the leader · rank #6
Boronda · highest
77,639
Boronda · highest
77,639 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Fairfield Bay on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 2,247.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Fairfield Bay - the verdict
Nationally, Fairfield Bay sits in the 27th percentile for household income and the 42nd percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
27th
percentile, household income
29th
percentile, home value
3rd
percentile, median rent
42nd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Fairfield Bay, AR
Fairfield Bay is a small town in Arkansas, home to 2,247 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Fairfield Bay households earn a median of $54,735 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 2.7%. Fairfield Bay's housing stock carries a median value of $157,300, and the median resident age is 68.6 years. 31.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 29.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 16 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 433% from five years earlier. Fairfield Bay reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1601.8 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Arkansas run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Arkansas scores 86.9 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $944 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Arkansas run around $210, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 55.5 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Fairfield Bay's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from comparison shortlist to population change to housing and income to reported crime to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Fairfield Bay, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, local building permits, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Comparison shortlist
Which cities make useful reference points for Fairfield Bay?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Arkansas, the closest population matches are Marked Tree (2,235 residents, $45,197 income); Star City (2,234 residents, $52,039 income); Melbourne (2,227 residents, $34,303 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Riverside, AL (2,247 residents); Campbell, FL (2,247 residents); Boronda, CA (2,246 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Is Fairfield Bay growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +92 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +4.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 16 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
How far does income reach against housing in Fairfield Bay?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 2.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Fairfield Bay?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1601.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 30% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Fairfield Bay?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
78.4%
Work from home
11.5%
Public transit
0.0%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 619 workers age 16+.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A+
86.9 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate A-
2.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share C+
31.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime D
229 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income F
$54,735
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Fairfield Bay profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 97/100 (A+) · 86.9 index
Poverty rate: 81/100 (A-) · 2.7%
Bachelor's+ share: 60/100 (C+) · 31.3%
Violent crime: 43/100 (D) · 229 /100k
Household income: 27/100 (F) · $54,735
Where Fairfield Bay sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Fairfield Bay's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Fairfield Bay highlighted among 26 peers.Read the chart values
Fairfield Bay, AR (this city): home $157,300, crime 1,602/100k
Riverside, AL : home $214,100, crime 1,273/100k
Marked Tree, AR : home $85,700, crime 1,332/100k
Star City, AR : home $118,500, crime 2,754/100k
Eureka Springs, AR : home $246,900, crime 2,135/100k
Gassville, AR : home $126,600, crime 1,428/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Fairfield Bay compare to other US cities?
Fairfield Bay measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income27% higher than other cities
Home value29% pricier than other cities
Median rent3% pricier than other cities
Safety42% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Arkansas alone, Fairfield Bay ranks #70 of 160 Arkansas cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Fairfield Bay against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Arkansas only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Arkansas-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Fairfield Bay near the bottom of Arkansas's cities
Among the 524 Arkansas cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Fairfield Bay ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Fairfield Bay only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#180 of 495
64th percentile in Arkansas
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 524
0th percentile in Arkansas
Median Home Value
#121 of 482
75th percentile in Arkansas
Poverty Rate
#446 of 524
15th percentile in Arkansas
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#44 of 524
92nd percentile in Arkansas
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Arkansas only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
27th percentile nationally for median household income · 42nd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Fairfield Bay's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Fairfield Bay's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Fairfield Bay's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$157,300Among the most affordablemore affordable than 71% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Fairfield Bay's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#5,980 of 15,516
More affordable than 61% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#5,146 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.9×, Fairfield Bay sits in the affordable band:
national rank #5,980 of 15,516 and #5,146 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$54,735Fairfield Bay, AR median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Fairfield Bay, AR median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Fairfield Bay, AR.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)31.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)2.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)29.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,247
Median Income
$54,735
Median Home Value
$157,300
Median Age
68.6
Poverty Rate
2.7%
Labor force participation
29.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
31.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1601.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
228.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1373.0
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Fairfield Bay's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
2,106 residents
2021
2,101 residents
2022
2,157 residents
2023
2,170 residents
2024
2,180 residents
2025
2,198 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
16
housing units authorized
Single-Family
16
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
7.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
3
3
0
$1.1M
2020
9
9
0
$2.2M
2021
9
9
0
$3.3M
2022
15
15
0
$6.0M
2023
5
5
0
$2.1M
2024
16
16
0
$7.0M
Permit volume increased 433% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.4%
Carpool
2.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
11.5%
Other
8.0%
Based on 619 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Arkansas statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $210
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Arkansas at $210 (electricity about $110 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Arkansas statewide averages, not a meter reading for Fairfield Bay. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Arkansas's BEA cost-of-living index is 86.9 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Fairfield Bay is $944/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Arkansas statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 55.5 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Arkansas statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Fairfield Bay sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Fairfield Bay compares to similar-size Arkansas cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.