Los Angeles/Compare
Fairfax vs Palms
Fairfax and Palms are two official neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Palms is the calmer Part I map (86 vs 5). Palms wins the errand count. Palms has the lower ACS median ($2,316).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · LAPD Oct 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official Los Angeles neighborhoods.
| Axis | Fairfax | Palms |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 5 | 86 |
| Schools | 43 | 67 |
| Walk | 8 | 22 |
| Cost fit | 86 | 100 |
| Vibe | 15 | 17 |
| Median rent | $2,896 | $2,316 |
| Median home | $1,838,776 | $1,208,580 |
| Population | 15,570 | 43,219 |
| Commute to Downtown | 28 min | 36 min |
| Commute to Westside | 19 min | 15 min |
| Commute to Hollywood | 14 min | 20 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Fairfax | Palms |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 75% | 87% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 34 |
| Median income | $119K | $105K |
| Part I per 1k | 46.1 | 14.0 |
| Groceries / 800m | 8 | 23 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 52 | 93 |
| Parks / 800m | 5 | 9 |
| 311 last 14 days | 282 | 854 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Los Angeles city. Up 62% since 2014. Fairfax is 50% above the 2024 city median. Palms is 20% above the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Fairfax if the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. 28 vs 36 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Palms if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 86 vs 5. Schools score 67 vs 43. ACS median rent is $2,316 vs $2,896. Read both pages before you decide.
Fairfax
Melrose, Canter’s, and a district that still has a nightlife strip. Compact, central, and not cheap.
$2,896 median rent · safety 5 · walk 8
Palms
Rentals, the Expo Line, and a westside zip that still has a grocery you can walk to. The practical neighbor of Mar Vista.
$2,316 median rent · safety 86 · walk 22
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Fairfax or Palms?
Palms is the lower ACS median: $2,896 vs $2,316. About 87% rent in Palms vs 75% in Fairfax. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fairfax more walkable than Palms?
Palms wins the errand count (walk 8 vs 22). Groceries inside 800 meters: 8 vs 23. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Fairfax or Palms?
Palms is the calmer Part I read (86 vs 5). Combined rate 14.0 vs 46.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fairfax or Palms?
Palms leads the school axis (67 vs 43). Nearby rating is 7.4 / 10 vs 6.4 / 10. Median age 34 vs 38.2. Fairfax has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
28 minutes from Fairfax to Downtown, 36 from Palms. Fairfax is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Fairfax or Palms: Hancock Park. Windsor Square houses, Larchmont Village, and a median that prices like the westside. Central, quiet, and not trying to be a scene.
Scores are relative among official Los Angeles neighborhoods with the same editorial weights. Read the method.