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Compare towns

Eugene vs Bend

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

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

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.

★ 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.

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

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
EugeneBend
Snow a year3″22″
January low35°F25°F
July high84°F84°F
Growing season (days)220d105d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th20th
Outdoors & history
EugeneBend
Conserved land11.9%5.2%
Settled18461905
National Register places6428
Community
EugeneBend
Library hours a week62 hrs69 hrs
Colleges in town32
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.

Eugene ↔ Bend90 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.

EugeneBend
People
Population 179,591Highest 103,390Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +13.1%Lowest OR: +10.6% +29.4%Highest OR: +10.6%
Median age 35.2±0.6Lowest 13% below OR 40.9±0.8Highest about the OR average
Kids under 18 15.8%±0.7Lowest OR: 19.9% 19.3%±1Highest OR: 19.9%
Age 65+ 17.8%±0.7Lowest OR: 19.1% 18.1%±0.9Highest 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+ 45.1%Lowest OR: 36.8% 52.9%Highest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 14.9%±0.7Highest OR: 5.7% 4.7%±0.7Lowest OR: 5.7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $66,562±$2kLowest 20% below OR $96,394±$5kHighest 16% above OR
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $460,400±$6kLowest 4% below OR $718,400±$18kHighest 50% above OR
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,402±$28Lowest 8% below OR $1,883±$54Highest 23% above OR
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,503Highest 16% above OR $4,162Lowest 7% above OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.1%±2.7Highest OR: 52.5% 47.9%±4.3Lowest OR: 52.5%
Below poverty line 19%Highest OR: 11.9% 8.8%Lowest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 47.9%Lowest OR: 63.3% 61.7%Highest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1980Lowest 1 yr older than OR 2001Highest 20 yrs newer than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minHighest 20% below OR 16 minLowest 29% below OR
Work from home 17.3%±1.1Lowest OR: 19% 24.8%±2Highest OR: 19%
Work in townworking residents 56.1%Lowest 59.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.3 miHighest 3.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.31Highest 1.24Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Springfield (11%)Portland (5%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Bend2% work in Eugene
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 11.9%Highest 5.2%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 69.5 miLowest 81.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.6 miLowest 2.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 114Highest 83Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 107Lowest 127Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #28 of 121 in OR#23 of 121 in OR
School district Lane ESD · Bethel SD 52Bend-LaPine Administrative SD 1
High school in town South Eugene High SchoolCaldera High School
Students per teacherat that high school 22.5Lowest 118.8Highest
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.

Eugene neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Eugene’s Town Square.

Bend neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bend’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Eugene and Bend

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

Bordering Eugene

Towns like Eugene

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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