City of Fairfax
Fast Facts:
- The City of Fairfax was home to 25,144 people and had 9,307 housing units in 2023. Since 2010, the City of Fairfax has added an average of 200 people and 47 housing units per year.
- Thirty-one percent of households were renters and 49 percent of renters had unaffordable housing costs.
- City of Fairfax did not meet the annual production target of 214 units, with 39 new units built in 2024. Cumulatively, the City of Fairfax has produced at least 810 units since 2020, short of its 4-year target of 856.
Policy Status
Solving the region's affordable housing crisis requires a portfolio of policies to preserve existing affordable housing, produce more housing, and protect people from discrimination and displacement.
Right of First Refusal
- City of Fairfax
Preservation Inventory - Subsidized
- City of Fairfax
Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized
- City of Fairfax
Rental Assistance Demonstration
- City of Fairfax
Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners
- City of Fairfax
Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing
- City of Fairfax
Housing Outcomes
Local jurisdictions submitted data to enable the region to track housing production, preservation, and rental affordability.
Amount of Housing
Number of units built by type
Affordability of Housing
Share of units affordable to households with low incomes
Accessibility of Housing
Share of affordable units in COG Activity Centers or near high-capacity transit
Housing Cost: LowestPercentage# of Units
Units built affordable to households with incomes 0-29.9% of area median
Housing Cost: LowPercentage# of Units
Units built affordable to households with incomes 30-49.9% of area median
Housing Cost: Low-MiddlePercentage# of Units
Units built affordable to households with incomes 50-79.9% of area median
Building Permits for New Construction
Number of units permitted by type
Affordable Housing in Development
Number of units
Affordable Housing Preservation
Number of units preserved as committed affordable by type
Structural Racism
Discriminatory actions and racist public policies have produced inequitable outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the Washington region, including lower incomes and wealth, lower homeownership rates, and higher rates of housing cost burden.
Income
Average household income by race and ethnicity, 2019-23
Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white.
Source: American Community Survey
Homeownership
Homeownership rate by race and ethnicity, 2019-23
Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white.
Source: American Community Survey
Homebuying
Share of mortgage originations by race and ethnicity, 2023
For first-lien owner-occupied home purchases of 1-4 unit dwellings
Note: Categories are mutually exclusive, borrowers identifying as Hispanic are not also represented in a race category. For mortgages with an applicant and a co-applicant, if they identify the same way they are captured in that category, otherwise if they have different identities they would be included in the Indigenous or Multiple race category.
Source: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
Credit Denials
Ratio of denial rates for mortgages between white borrowers and borrowers of color, 2023
For first-lien owner-occupied home purchases of 1-4 unit dwellings
Note: If White borrowers and borrowers of Color were denied mortgages at the same rate we would expect to see a ratio equal to 1. Values under 1 indicate that borrowers of Color have higher denial rates than White borrowers.
Source: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
Rental Housing Cost Burden
Renter households paying more than 30% of their monthly income in rent, 2019-23
Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white. Households paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income in housing costs are considered to be cost burdened.
Source: American Community Survey
Owner Housing Cost Burden
Owner households paying more than 30% of their monthly income in housing costs, 2019-23
Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white. Households paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income in housing costs are considered to be cost burdened.
Source: American Community Survey
Housing Context
Understanding how household incomes relate to the supply of affordable rental and homeownership units will inform jurisdictions' efforts to meet the current and future housing needs of residents.
Housing Cost Burden
Renter households paying more than 30% of their monthly income in rent, 2019-23
Note: Households paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income in housing costs are considered to be cost burdened.
Source: American Community Survey
Affordable Homebuying
Share of mortgage originations to households with moderate incomes and below, 2023
For first-lien owner-occupied home purchases of 1-4 unit dwellings
Source: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
