Best places to live in Oregon (2026)

All 13 ranked places in Oregon, by all-round score. 3 other places without FBI crime data are on the places list.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Tigard, ORSuburb · 3-bed $552k · very safe70
2. 2Hillsboro, ORSuburb · 3-bed $490k · very safe69
3. 3Lake Oswego, ORSuburb · 3-bed $753k · very safe66
4. 4Gresham, ORSuburb · 3-bed $446k · moderate crime65
5. 5Beaverton, ORSuburb · 3-bed $497k · very safe62
6. 6Hood River, ORSmall town · 3-bed $705k · very safe60
7. 7Portland, ORBig city · 3-bed $523k · moderate crime59
8. 8Ashland, ORSmall town · 3-bed $562k · very safe59
9. 9Bend, ORSmall city · 3-bed $692k · very safe58
10. 10Albany, ORSmall city · 3-bed $421k · very safe53
11. 11Salem, ORMid-size city · 3-bed $419k · safe50
12. 12Eugene, ORCollege town · 3-bed $459k · moderate crime49
13. 13Springfield, ORSuburb · 3-bed $416k · safe48

Cheapest places to live in Oregon

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Medford, ORSmall city · rent $2,130/mo · cost of living 101$406k
2. 2Springfield, ORSuburb · rent $2,350/mo · cost of living 102$416k
3. 3Salem, ORMid-size city · rent $2,160/mo · cost of living 104$419k
4. 4Albany, ORSmall city · rent $2,030/mo · cost of living 102$421k
5. 5Gresham, ORSuburb · rent $2,620/mo · cost of living 105$446k

Safest places to live in Oregon

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Lake Oswego, ORSuburb · violent crime 0.2× the US rate60 per 100k
2. 2Albany, ORSmall city · violent crime 0.3× the US rate127 per 100k
3. 3Ashland, ORSmall town · violent crime 0.4× the US rate135 per 100k
4. 4Bend, ORSmall city · violent crime 0.4× the US rate153 per 100k
5. 5Hood River, ORSmall town · violent crime 0.4× the US rate165 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Oregon

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Bend, OR3 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding95
2. 2Aloha, OR4 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly earthquakes, flooding78
3. 3Medford, OR2 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly earthquakes, flooding77
4. 4Hood River, OR7 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, earthquakes75
5. 5Gresham, OR5 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly earthquakes, flooding75

Best places to live for families in Oregon

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Lake Oswego, ORSuburb · kids good · safety excellent · 3-bed $753k71
2. 2Tigard, ORSuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $552k69
3. 3Hillsboro, ORSuburb · kids good · safety excellent · 3-bed $490k67
4. 4Ashland, ORSmall town · kids average · safety excellent · 3-bed $562k61
5. 5Beaverton, ORSuburb · kids average · safety excellent · 3-bed $497k61

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.