Los Angeles/Compare
Fairfax vs Silver Lake
Fairfax and Silver Lake are two official neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Silver Lake is the calmer Part I map (19 vs 5). Walk is a wash (8 vs 11). Silver Lake has the lower ACS median ($2,105).
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 | Silver Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 5 | 19 |
| Schools | 43 | 57 |
| Walk | 8 | 11 |
| Cost fit | 86 | 100 |
| Vibe | 15 | 18 |
| Median rent | $2,896 | $2,105 |
| Median home | $1,838,776 | $1,544,631 |
| Population | 15,570 | 28,946 |
| Commute to Downtown | 28 min | 21 min |
| Commute to Westside | 19 min | 29 min |
| Commute to Hollywood | 14 min | 19 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Fairfax | Silver Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 75% | 60% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 40.8 |
| Median income | $119K | $123K |
| Part I per 1k | 46.1 | 30.6 |
| Groceries / 800m | 8 | 10 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 52 | 50 |
| Parks / 800m | 5 | 15 |
| 311 last 14 days | 282 | 616 |
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. Silver is 9% 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 you already want this pocket more than the table. Silver Lake leads the numbered axes on this page.
Pick Silver Lake if the rent gap is the point and the quieter map matters more than the scene. ACS median rent is $2,105 vs $2,896. Safety is 19 vs 5. Schools score 57 vs 43. 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
Silver Lake
The reservoir, Sunset Junction, and hills that make every errand a climb. Eastside that still feels like a neighborhood, not a brand.
$2,105 median rent · safety 19 · walk 11
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Fairfax or Silver Lake?
Silver Lake is the lower ACS median: $2,896 vs $2,105. About 60% rent in Silver Lake vs 75% in Fairfax. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Fairfax more walkable than Silver Lake?
Walk is basically a tie (8 vs 11). Count groceries if you care: 8 in Fairfax vs 10 in Silver Lake, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Fairfax or Silver Lake?
Silver Lake is the calmer Part I read (19 vs 5). Combined rate 30.6 vs 46.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Fairfax or Silver Lake?
Silver Lake leads the school axis (57 vs 43). Nearby rating is 7.0 / 10 vs 6.4 / 10. Median age 40.8 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, 21 from Silver Lake. Silver Lake is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood that is not Fairfax or Silver Lake: 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.