Living in Fairfax, VT
Franklin County
Fairfax is a real, current rural town in Franklin County, northwestern Vermont, roughly 22 road miles (a 35-45 minute drive) north of Burlington and a short drive from St. Albans -- a genuine bedroom-community relationship to the Chittenden County/Burlington metro area rather than a fully independent economic center. Fairfax's own economy retains a real, disclosed agricultural character (dairy, maple, small-scale producers) alongside meaningful commuting toward St. Albans and Burlington. Fairfax's population runs approximately 5,226, with a median age (38.8) and senior population share (approximately 11.48%) both running genuinely, substantially below Vermont's own real, current statewide figures -- making Fairfax a genuinely younger, family-oriented market this record credits directly rather than a retirement destination. Housing runs a real, disclosed cross-source spread ($317,000-$525,000 depending on citation and methodology), with every figure at or above this project's national comparison figure. Fairfax's crime picture runs genuinely, substantially low across every measure cited this pass, and its own property tax rate (1.54%) runs close to this project's Vermont statewide anchor rather than exceptionally high within the state.
Explore Fairfax in depth
- Moving to Fairfax: Pros, Cons & What to Know
- Cost of Living in Fairfax
- Housing in Fairfax
- Taxes & Insurance in Fairfax
- Climate in Fairfax
- Schools & Families in Fairfax
- Healthcare & Safety in Fairfax
- Pros and Cons of Living in Fairfax
- Best Areas to Live in Fairfax
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Learn moreHousing
Cited Fairfax's median sale price at $525,000, up 4.0% versus 2024, on 47 units sold.
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Franklin County level this session. Vermont's top state income tax rate is 8.75%. See the Vermont hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Fairfax-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Genuinely, substantially low crime rates across every measure cited this pass (an A+ AreaVibes grade). A real, disclosed younger population profile relative to Vermont's own statewide aging trend, with solidly middle-of-the-pack (not weak) schools at BFA Fairfax. A genuine rural, small-town character with real agricultural roots, alongside real commuter access to St. Albans and Burlington.
Cons
Housing runs genuinely above this project's national comparison figure across every citation reviewed this pass, with a real, disclosed cross-source price spread this record does not resolve to one number. Vermont's real, current, genuinely high statewide income tax applies. No in-town hospital -- healthcare access runs through regional facilities in St. Albans and Burlington. No Fairfax-specific homeowners-insurance or precise flood-severity figure confirmed this pass.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits families and small-town-living movers prioritizing genuine safety, a rural Franklin County setting, and commuter access to St. Albans/Burlington, comfortable with Vermont's real, current higher-than-national housing costs and income tax.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers prioritizing retirement-specific community infrastructure -- Fairfax's own real, disclosed data shows a genuinely younger population than Vermont's statewide norm -- or for those seeking the lowest-cost Vermont housing market, given Fairfax's above-national-median figures across every citation this pass reviewed.
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