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Eugene vs Springfield

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (5.8× in Eugene) and work in town (+30.2 pts in Eugene).

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Eugene, ORA history townOregon · 179,591 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.

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 →
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 part ways

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

Trails5.8×
Eugene has more miles of trail
Eugene 69.5 miSpringfield 12.0 mi
Work in town+30.2 pts
More of Eugene’s workers stay in town
Eugene 56.1%Springfield 25.9%
Bachelor’s degree++22.7 pts
More adults in Eugene have a degree
Eugene 45.1%Springfield 22.4%
Property tax bill+40%
Tax bills are bigger in Eugene
Eugene $4,503Springfield $3,225
Home values+28%
Homes cost more in Eugene
Eugene $460,400Springfield $358,700
Growth since 2010+9 pts
Eugene has grown faster since 2010
Eugene +13.1%Springfield +4.1%
★ What stands out · Report cards

Eugene places higher on 19 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
DEugeneSafer than 14% of U.S. towns C−SpringfieldSafer than 19% of U.S. towns
Schools
B+EugeneBetter than 72% of districts in the state C−SpringfieldBetter than 17% of districts in the state
Health
B+EugeneHealthier than 68% of U.S. towns C+SpringfieldHealthier than 42% of U.S. towns
19Eugene
7Springfield

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

Best libraries for kidsLibraries · 36 towns #1#23 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 65 towns #58#20 Most-used librariesLibraries · 36 towns #12#32 Most library borrowingLibraries · 36 towns #6#25 Most educatedPeople · 147 towns #28#92 Most remote workersWork · 141 towns #41#101 Fastest growingGrowth · 140 towns #51#110 Fewest smokersHealth · 147 towns #48#109

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

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $380 more a month in Eugene

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

The difference: $380 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Eugene 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.

Where they are

Eugene and Springfield share a border

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

EugeneSpringfieldEugeneSpringfield
Eugene ↔ Springfield6.9 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
10,892 Springfield residents work in Eugene (41.9% of its workers)
7,311 Eugene residents work in Springfield (10.9% of its workers)
Work & commute in Springfield →
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
EugeneSpringfield
Snow a year3″3″
January low35°F35°F
July high84°F84°F
Growing season (days)220d220d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th85th
Outdoors & history
EugeneSpringfield
Trails70 mi12 mi
Conserved land11.9%3.4%
Settled18461885
National Register places649
Archive photos—12
Famous people born here—12
Community
EugeneSpringfield
Library hours a week62 hrs43 hrs
Colleges in town3—
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.

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.

EugeneSpringfield
People
Population 179,591Highest 61,499Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +13.1%Highest OR: +10.6% +4.1%Lowest OR: +10.6%
Median age 35.2±0.6Lowest 13% below OR 37.4±1.1Highest 7% below OR
Kids under 18 15.8%±0.7Lowest OR: 19.9% 21%±1.4Highest OR: 19.9%
Age 65+ 17.8%±0.7Highest OR: 19.1% 16.3%±1.2Lowest OR: 19.1%
Eugene and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 45.1%Highest OR: 36.8% 22.4%Lowest 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 $68,761±$3kHighest 17% below OR
Springfield and Eugene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $460,400±$6kHighest 4% below OR $358,700±$8kLowest 25% below OR
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,402±$28Highest 8% below OR $1,258±$44Lowest 18% below OR
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,503Highest 16% above OR $3,225Lowest 17% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.1%±2.7Highest OR: 52.5% 50.2%±4.1Lowest OR: 52.5%
Below poverty line 19%Highest OR: 11.9% 14.9%Lowest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 47.9%Lowest OR: 63.3% 55%Highest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1980Highest 1 yr older than OR 1976Lowest 5 yrs older than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minLowest 20% below OR 19 minHighest 16% below OR
Work from home 17.3%±1.1Highest OR: 19% 9.8%±1.5Lowest OR: 19%
Work in townworking residents 56.1%Highest 25.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 4.3 miLowest 6.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.31Highest 1.05Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Springfield (11%)Eugene (42%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 11% work in Springfield42% work in Eugene
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 11.9%Highest 3.4%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 69.5 miHighest 12.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.6 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 114Highest 33Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 107Highest 99.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #28 of 121 in OR#55 of 121 in OR
School district Lane ESD · Bethel SD 52Springfield SD 19
High school in town South Eugene High SchoolSpringfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school 22.5Highest 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.

Eugene neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Eugene’s Town Square.

Springfield neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Springfield’s Town Square.

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Bordering Eugene

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Santa Clara10,551 people · $415K homes
R
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River Road8,862 people · $398K homes

Towns like Eugene

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Hillsboro108,231 people · $521K homes
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Beaverton97,812 people · $570K homes
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Salem178,865 people · $417K homes
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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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