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Compare towns

Echo vs Wasco

73 miles apart. The biggest differences: kids under 18 (+12 pts in Echo) and property tax bill (+18% in Echo).

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Echo, ORA history townOregon · 494 people
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Wasco, ORA small town of 455Oregon · 455 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.

EchoA history town
HistorySettled in 190410 places on the National Register Housing$295K typical home40% below the OR typical home SchoolsBetter than 71%of OR districts All about Echo →
WascoA small town of 455
Quiet strengthsWasco doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Wasco →
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.

Kids under 18+12 pts
Echo has more kids
Echo 26.9%Wasco 14.9%
Property tax bill+18%
Tax bills are bigger in Echo
Echo $1,823Wasco $1,543
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $480 more a month in Echo

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.

Echo$1,810/mo
Typical home $295K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.05% · or rent about $994/mo · Housing →
Wasco$1,330/mo
Typical home $229K (Census) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $1,229/mo · Housing →

The difference: $480 a month, about $5,700 a year, between Echo and Wasco.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Schools
B+EchoBetter than 71% of districts in the state –WascoNot graded
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
EchoWasco
Snow a year16″6″
January low28°F—
July high89°F—
Growing season (days)174d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)32nd83rd
Outdoors & history
EchoWasco
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land0%1.3%
Settled19041901
National Register places101
Archive photos11—
Community
EchoWasco
Library hours a week39 hrs—
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

73 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

EchoORWascoOR
Echo ↔ Wasco73 miles apart
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.

EchoWasco
People
Population 494Highest 455Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -9.6% OR: +10.6% —
Median age 38.3±11.4Lowest 5% below OR 45.7±14.3Highest 13% above OR
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.9%±7.9Highest OR: 19.9% 14.9%±3.5Lowest OR: 19.9%
Age 65+ 23.7%±7.1Lowest OR: 19.1% 29%±2.9Highest OR: 19.1%
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 10.2%Highest OR: 36.8% 7.8%Lowest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.8%±3.1Lowest OR: 5.7% 3.7%±4.4Highest OR: 5.7%
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $112,639±$78kHighest 36% above OR $65,000±$28kLowest 22% below OR
Echo and Wasco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $173,100±$103kLowest 64% below OR $229,300±$34kHighest 52% below OR
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $994±$222Lowest 35% below OR $1,229±$136Highest 19% below OR
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,823Highest 53% below OR $1,543Lowest 60% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 25.7%±73.4Highest OR: 52.5% 13.3%±43.1Lowest OR: 52.5%
Echo and Wasco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.1%Lowest OR: 11.9% 17.4%Highest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 73.4%Lowest OR: 63.3% 74.2%Highest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1957Lowest 24 yrs older than OR 1964Highest 17 yrs older than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minHighest 9% above OR 23 minLowest about the OR average
Work from home 0%±7.8Lowest OR: 19% 5.9%±3.8Highest OR: 19%
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.1%Lowest 2.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 25.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.35Highest 0.26Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Hermiston (17%)Moro (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WascoFew work in Echo
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 1.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 51.0Lowest 61.7Highest
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.

Echo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Echo’s Town Square.

Wasco neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wasco’s Town Square.

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Towns like Echo

A
+ Compare
Arlington690 people · $253K homes
M
+ Compare
Moro392 people · $245K homes
+ Compare
Lostine255 people
+ Compare
North Powder563 people · $142K 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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