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Compare towns

Bend vs Eugene

90 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+56% in Bend) and growth since 2010 (+16.3 pts in Bend).

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Bend, ORA history townOregon · 103,390 people
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Eugene, ORA history townOregon · 179,591 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.

BendA history town
HistorySettled in 190528 places on the National Register Housing$729K typical home47% above the OR typical home Outdoors#12 most trails in OR81 miles of trails across 83 parks and preserves All about Bend →
EugeneA history town
HistorySettled in 184664 places on the National Register College town3 collegesUniversity of Oregon Schools#28 for schools in ORof 121 towns All about Eugene →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

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

Home values+56%
Homes cost more in Bend
Bend $718,400Eugene $460,400
Growth since 2010+16.3 pts
Bend has grown faster since 2010
Bend +29.4%Eugene +13.1%
Household income+45%
Households in Bend earn more
Bend $96,394Eugene $66,562
Rent+34%
Rent runs higher in Bend
Bend $1,883Eugene $1,402
Work from home+7.5 pts
More people work from home in Bend
Bend 24.8%Eugene 17.3%
Typical home built21 yrs
Eugene’s homes are older
Bend 2001Eugene 1980
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,290 more a month in Bend

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.

Bend$4,180/mo
Typical home $729K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.58% · or rent about $1,883/mo · Housing →
Eugene$2,880/mo
Typical home $476K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $1,402/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,290 a month, about $15,500 a year, between Bend and Eugene.

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.

Report cards

Bend places higher on 20 of 23 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
B−BendSafer than 45% of U.S. towns DEugeneSafer than 14% of U.S. towns
Schools
A−BendBetter than 83% of districts in the state B+EugeneBetter than 72% of districts in the state
Health
ABendHealthier than 91% of U.S. towns B+EugeneHealthier than 68% of U.S. towns
20Bend
3Eugene

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 65 towns #15#58 SafestSafety · 73 towns #24#62 Highest incomeIncome · 147 towns #38#109 Lowest depressionHealth · 147 towns #14#78 Cheapest rentCost of living · 145 towns #131#72 Most affordableCost of living · 147 towns #138#92 Lowest obesityHealth · 147 towns #4#49 Most new homesHousing · 82 towns #7#32

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

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
BendEugene
Snow a year22″3″
January low25°F35°F
July high84°F84°F
Growing season (days)105d220d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)20th60th
Outdoors & history
BendEugene
Trails81 mi70 mi
Conserved land5.2%11.9%
Settled19051846
National Register places2864
Community
BendEugene
Library hours a week69 hrs62 hrs
Colleges in town23
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

90 miles apart

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

BendOREugeneOR
Bend ↔ Eugene90 miles apart
Who commutes between them
671 Bend residents work in Eugene (1.5% of its workers)
506 Eugene residents work in Bend (0.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Bend →
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.

BendEugene
People
Population 103,390Lowest 179,591Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +29.4%Highest OR: +10.6% +13.1%Lowest OR: +10.6%
Median age 40.9±0.8Highest about the OR average 35.2±0.6Lowest 13% below OR
Kids under 18 19.3%±1Highest OR: 19.9% 15.8%±0.7Lowest OR: 19.9%
Age 65+ 18.1%±0.9Highest OR: 19.1% 17.8%±0.7Lowest OR: 19.1%
Bend and Eugene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 52.9%Highest OR: 36.8% 45.1%Lowest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.7%±0.7Lowest OR: 5.7% 14.9%±0.7Highest OR: 5.7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $96,394±$5kHighest 16% above OR $66,562±$2kLowest 20% below OR
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $718,400±$18kHighest 50% above OR $460,400±$6kLowest 4% below OR
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,883±$54Highest 23% above OR $1,402±$28Lowest 8% below OR
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,162Lowest 7% above OR $4,503Highest 16% above OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 47.9%±4.3Lowest OR: 52.5% 59.1%±2.7Highest OR: 52.5%
Below poverty line 8.8%Lowest OR: 11.9% 19%Highest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 61.7%Highest OR: 63.3% 47.9%Lowest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 2001Highest 20 yrs newer than OR 1980Lowest 1 yr older than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 29% below OR 18 minHighest 20% below OR
Work from home 24.8%±2Highest OR: 19% 17.3%±1.1Lowest OR: 19%
Work in townworking residents 59.9%Highest 56.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 3.8 miLowest 4.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.24Lowest 1.31Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Portland (5%)Springfield (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Eugene1% work in Bend
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.2%Lowest 11.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 81.2 miHighest 69.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.3 miHighest 1.6 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 83Lowest 114Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 127Highest 107Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #23 of 121 in OR#28 of 121 in OR
School district Bend-LaPine Administrative SD 1Lane ESD · Bethel SD 52
High school in town Caldera High SchoolSouth Eugene High School
Students per teacherat that high school 118.8Highest 22.5Lowest
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.

Bend neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bend’s Town Square.

Eugene neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Eugene’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bend and Eugene

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Bend

T
+ Compare
Tetherow765 people · $2M homes
D
+ Compare
Deschutes River Woods5,797 people · $560K homes

Towns like Bend

+ Compare
Tigard56,011 people · $611K homes
+ Compare
Beaverton97,812 people · $570K homes
+ Compare
Hillsboro108,231 people · $521K homes
+ Compare
Medford86,315 people · $417K 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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