Is Fairfield Safe? Crime Rates & Safety Report

Fairfield, California, is a perfect central location to the best parts of Northern California.

Halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco and 30 minutes to Napa, Fairfield couldn’t have a better spot in the beautiful Golden State landscape.

When researching Fairfield, make sure you are looking at the California location.

My research has shown there are several other Fairfield’s that will rank in search engines.

I’ve ended up on Ohio or Connecticut’s Fairfield site more times than I’d like to admit.

This Fairfield is located in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay area.

It’s a working community with all the amenities of a tourist destination.

There’s a little something for everyone in Fairfield.

Get your sweet tooth ready for a tour of the Jelly Belly headquarters or take a railroad trip back in time at the Western Railway Museum.

Wine country surrounds Fairfield and you’ve got the prime pick of your favorite flavor.

Let’s not forget all the great products you can get in this part of California.

You’ve got theme parks, extensive hiking trails, several shopping options, and you can dine for days without leaving town.

You might even forget to go to San Francisco with so much to do in Fairfield, California.

Warnings & Dangers in Fairfield

OVERALL RISK: LOW

There's a low overall risk. The crime rates are about on par with the rest of California and there are certain areas of increased crime that a tourist can avoid by taking precautions. This is a working community with a military presence and a gateway to so many exciting places.

TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW

Fairfield and neighboring Suisun ("sue-SOON") share a public transportation system called FAST. You also have Amtrak and Greyhound busses to get in and out of town. Local taxis and rideshares are available. They all come with low risk. I will say, this is a town that isn't very walkable. Having a car here is a BIG plus for seeing all the amenities.

PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW

The larceny rates for the past five years are all over the place. There were 1,920 in 2020, but 2,780 in 2019, then 2,300 in 2018. 2016 was down to 1,888. While I might be throwing too many numbers at you, it's important to see the fluctuations that can happen. On average, about 20 pickpockets or purse snatchings have happened each year over the past few years. It's a low risk, but that can change quickly, as trends show us.

NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW

Earthquakes and wildfires are the biggest concerns here. The area doesn't get a lot of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. While the potential for a big disaster exists, it's still low-risk day-to-day. The most important thing to get is the wildfire risk when you get to town.

MUGGING RISK: LOW

The robbery numbers weren't quite as wobbly as the theft numbers, so we can confidently say that there is a low risk here. Of the 176 robberies that happened in 2020, 46 were highway robberies, which are most likely to impact travelers.

TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM

There's a medium risk just because it's part of a densely populated area and one of the largest in the country, which is always attractive to terrorists.

SCAMS RISK: LOW

There are plenty of scams reported, but most target locals. There's a great story about a woman who tried to scam a bank out of $8 million, but that's not going to impact your trip. There's a low risk of being scammed, provided you know to never give out personal information and if a deal seems too good to be true, it is.

WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW

There's nothing in the crime data that suggests this is a dangerous city for women, so there's a low risk. Plenty of women starts their vacation to Napa here.

TAP WATER RISK: LOW

There's low risk with tap water in Fairfield. It passes all the required state and national requirements and has no active health violations.

Safest Places to Visit in Fairfield

One claim to fame of Fairfield is that it’s home to the Jelly Belly headquarters.

You can do self-guided tours with interactive exhibits along the way.

You should come hungry because there is a store, cafe (Hello Jelly Belly shaped burgers!), chocolate shop and fudge center, and a chocolate and wine experience.

The Scandia Family Fun Center is a great way to burn off that sugar rush with miniature golf, laser tag, bumper boats, go-karts, and batting cages.

If that’s not exciting enough, head to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom just 15 minutes away.

I’m terrified of roller coasters and my stomach is turning just looking at the options, so suffice it to say there are great options with 11 coasters to choose from, including Batman, Kong, Wonder Woman, and The Joker.

Rockville Hills Regional Park is a great, expansive site to explore.

It’s also the only park I’ve ever seen charges “per dog.”

If you are bringing a dog, it will cost $1 to get in.

People are $3.

Grizzly Island Wildlife Area is another great outdoor option if you want to see more than 200 species of birds.

Note: There are no grizzly bears in this area, but it’s a great conversation starter with the park ranger to find out how this area was named.

I wish I could tell you about all of the wineries in this area, but we’d need to order appetizers with a bottle of Chardonnay because it would take so long.

I can tell you that Tolenas and Cordelia are the closest wineries and are both located in the city of Fairfield.

Places to Avoid in Fairfield

Crime maps show the offenses are pretty evenly distributed throughout Fairfield.

Even looking at their live crime map, which you should review before your trip, doesn’t show any one or two particular areas to avoid.

What’s cool about this map is there is a “heat map” option to pinpoint trends.

The car break-in crime numbers are very high here with more than half of all thefts reported being from vehicles.

More than 1200 vehicles were stolen in 2020 at a cost of nearly $5 million.

Make sure you park in a well-lit area, ideally near a surveillance camera if you can spot one.

Lock the car, roll up the windows, and don’t leave anything in plain sight.

The good news is the majority of stolen vehicles were recovered.

One of the big complaints on local social media sites is that there isn’t a lot to do at night in Fairfield.

This is always a good sign you shouldn’t wander around at night by yourself and avoid going into unknown neighborhoods off of main roads.

Safety Tips for Traveling to Fairfield

So... How Safe Is Fairfield Really?

Most of the negative comments online are more about how “boring” the city is than how dangerous it is.

Crime is really spread out across the city.

To view it by the statistics:

• Violent Crime: 1 in 221 chance
• Theft: 1 in 62 chance
• Robbery: 1 in 709 chance
• Motor Vehicle Theft: 1 in 188

Motor vehicle theft should be the biggest worry for a traveler here.

Be sure to lock car doors, roll up the windows, and take all personal belongings with you.

Even hiding stuff in the trunk doesn’t work if a thief sees you putting it there.

You’re going to see homeless people in Fairfield as you would in any city.

It’s never a good idea to give panhandlers money, but instead, donate to a local charity if you’d like.

How Does Fairfield Compare?

Useful Information

Visas

You're all set in Fairfield once you've taken care of the Visa at the airport. No other ID is needed in town, but keep a legal ID on you if you want to enjoy the wineries.

Currency

You'll use the U.S. Dollar here and in all parts of the state. There's not an urgent reason to carry cash here, so opt to use a credit card because those provide better protection in the event of identity theft or suspicious charges.

Weather

Did I mention it's windy here? Just add ".. and it's windy" to every sentence I write next. It's going to be mild from November through March with highs in the 60s or 70s and lows into the 40s. A few 30's might pop up there in December and January. Summers are warm with highs in the 80s starting in June through October with a few upper-70s in May and October. It's always a great idea to have a jacket for chilly evenings.

Airports

You can split the difference between which airport you want in the Bay area and the one in Sacramento. They are all about an hour away, not including traffic.

Travel Insurance

Bay area flights can easily get canceled or delayed due to fog and other weather events, so it's a great idea to have travel insurance for your trip to Fairfield, California.

Fairfield Weather Averages (Temperatures)

Average High/Low Temperature

California - Safety by City