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Compare towns

Albany vs Springfield

40 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+8.5 pts in Albany) and property tax bill (+23% in Albany).

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Albany, ORA history townOregon · 56,839 people
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Springfield, OROne of the healthiest townsOregon · 61,499 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

AlbanyA history town
HistorySettled in 184620 places on the National Register HealthHealthier than 50%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Schools#37 for schools in ORof 121 towns All about Albany →
SpringfieldOne of the healthiest towns
Health58% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$417K typical home16% below the OR typical home Outdoors#63 most walkable in OR12 miles of trails across 33 parks and preserves All about Springfield →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Growth since 2010+8.5 pts
Albany has grown faster since 2010
Albany +12.6%Springfield +4.1%
Property tax bill+23%
Tax bills are bigger in Albany
Albany $3,973Springfield $3,225
Household income+14%
Households in Albany earn more
Albany $78,114Springfield $68,761
Work from home+4.4 pts
More people work from home in Albany
Albany 14.2%Springfield 9.8%
★ What stands out · Report cards

Albany places higher on 14 of 26 OR lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Oregon ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
C+AlbanySafer than 37% of U.S. towns C−SpringfieldSafer than 19% of U.S. towns
Schools
BAlbanyBetter than 55% of districts in the state C−SpringfieldBetter than 17% of districts in the state
Health
B−AlbanyHealthier than 50% of U.S. towns C+SpringfieldHealthier than 42% of U.S. towns
14Albany
11Springfield

Lists won, of 26 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 139 towns #38#124 Most new homesHousing · 82 towns #75#40 Fastest growingGrowth · 140 towns #53#110 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 65 towns #44#20 Most remote workersWork · 141 towns #59#101 SafestSafety · 73 towns #35#55 Fewest smokersHealth · 147 towns #72#109 Most library borrowingLibraries · 36 towns #17#25

Left end = #1 in Oregon. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Albany’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $150 more a month in Albany

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Albany$2,650/mo
Typical home $434K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.02% · or rent about $1,372/mo · Housing →
Springfield$2,500/mo
Typical home $417K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.90% · or rent about $1,258/mo · Housing →

The difference: $150 a month, about $1,800 a year, between Albany and Springfield.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
AlbanySpringfield
Snow a year3″3″
January low34°F35°F
July high83°F84°F
Growing season (days)194d220d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)77th85th
Outdoors & history
AlbanySpringfield
Trails10 mi12 mi
Conserved land3.4%3.4%
Settled18461885
National Register places209
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—12
Community
AlbanySpringfield
Library hours a week56 hrs43 hrs
Colleges in town1—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

40 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

AlbanyORSpringfieldOR
Albany ↔ Springfield40 miles apart
Who commutes between them
366 Albany residents work in Springfield (1.5% of its workers)
157 Springfield residents work in Albany (0.6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Albany →
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

AlbanySpringfield
People
Population 56,839Lowest 61,499Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +12.6%Highest OR: +10.6% +4.1%Lowest OR: +10.6%
Median age 37.7±1.3Highest 7% below OR 37.4±1.1Lowest 7% below OR
Albany and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 24.5%±1.5Highest OR: 19.9% 21%±1.4Lowest OR: 19.9%
Age 65+ 16.8%±1.1Highest OR: 19.1% 16.3%±1.2Lowest OR: 19.1%
Albany and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 29.4%Highest OR: 36.8% 22.4%Lowest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.5%±0.6Lowest OR: 5.7% 4.7%±0.7Highest OR: 5.7%
Springfield and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $78,114±$4kHighest 6% below OR $68,761±$3kLowest 17% below OR
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $389,200±$10kHighest 19% below OR $358,700±$8kLowest 25% below OR
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,372±$47Highest 10% below OR $1,258±$44Lowest 18% below OR
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,973Highest about the OR average $3,225Lowest 17% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.9%±5.9Highest OR: 52.5% 50.2%±4.1Lowest OR: 52.5%
Albany and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13.5%Lowest OR: 11.9% 14.9%Highest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 58.9%Highest OR: 63.3% 55%Lowest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 2 yrs newer than OR 1976Lowest 5 yrs older than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 9% below OR 19 minLowest 16% below OR
Work from home 14.2%±1.6Highest OR: 19% 9.8%±1.5Lowest OR: 19%
Work in townworking residents 28.1%Highest 25.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miHighest 6.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.85Lowest 1.05Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Corvallis (15%)Eugene (42%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Springfield1% work in Albany
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.4% 3.4%
Trailsmapped miles 10.0 miLowest 12.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miLowest 0.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 26Lowest 33Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 94.8Lowest 99.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #37 of 121 in OR#55 of 121 in OR
School district ODE YCEP District · Greater Albany Public SD 8JSpringfield SD 19
High school in town South Albany High SchoolSpringfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school 21.9Highest 18.7Lowest
Oregon average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Albany neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Albany’s Town Square.

Springfield neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Springfield’s Town Square.

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Set another town beside Albany and Springfield

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Bordering Albany

+ Compare
Millersburg3,366 people · $567K homes

Towns like Albany

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Medford86,315 people · $417K homes
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Keizer39,082 people · $434K homes
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McMinnville34,596 people · $433K homes
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Redmond36,092 people · $463K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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