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Is Fair Lawn, NJ a Good Place to Live?
Fair Lawn is a small city of 34,948 in New Jersey, with a median household income of $141,540 and a 5.3% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 112 (US average = 100), which is 12% above the national average.
Strengths: Fair Lawn stands out for lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (A), a well-educated population.
Trade-offs: Potential downsides include an above-average cost of living, high home prices, longer commutes, an elevated unemployment rate. Whether Fair Lawn is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Fair Lawn city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 112.5Fair Lawn's overall cost of living index is 112.5, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Fair Lawn costs roughly 12% more than the average American city.
| Metric | Fair Lawn, NJ | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $488,300 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,836 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 79.3% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $141,540 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeFair Lawn's violent crime rate is 43.7 per 100,000 residents — 88% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Fair Lawn is served primarily by Fair Lawn Public School District. The student-to-teacher ratio is 11.6:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Fair Lawn, NJ | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Fair Lawn Public School District | — |
| Elementary Schools | 6 | — |
| Middle Schools | 2 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 11.6:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 62.0% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 96.6% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Fair Lawn sees average highs of 39.9°F in January and 87.0°F in July, with 49.2 inches of annual precipitation and 28.2 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Fair Lawn, NJ |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 39.9°F |
| Average High — July | 87.0°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 49.2" |
| Annual Snowfall | 28.2" |
Demographics
| Metric | Fair Lawn, NJ | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 34,948 | — |
| Median Age | 40.8 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 5.3% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 33.5 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 74.0% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 3.5% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.8% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 11.9% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 24.6% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 19.6% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Fair Lawn
Fair Lawn, NJ is covered by 1 ZIP code: