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.

Down paymentRate%

Gresham$2,790/mo

Typical home $465K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $1,586/mo · Housing →

Salem$2,630/mo

Typical home $435K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.96% · or rent about $1,400/mo · Housing →

The difference: $160 a month, about $1,900 a year, between Gresham and Salem.

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

Salem places higher on 14 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

C−GreshamSafer than 16% of U.S. towns DSalemSafer than 12% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−GreshamBetter than 45% of districts in the state B−SalemBetter than 48% of districts in the state

Health

B−GreshamHealthier than 47% of U.S. towns B−SalemHealthier than 47% of U.S. towns

9Gresham

14Salem

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

Lowest obesityHealth · 147 towns #20#128 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 147 towns #42#104 Fewest smokersHealth · 147 towns #109#48 Lowest depressionHealth · 147 towns #136#78 Shortest commuteGetting around · 147 towns #110#62 Most new homesHousing · 82 towns #61#35 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 65 towns #57#38 Most walkableOutdoors · 147 towns #49#84

Left end = #1 in Oregon. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Gresham’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

GreshamSalem

Snow a year3″1″

January low37°F 35°F

July high82°F 80°F

Growing season (days)251d 227d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th 56th

Outdoors & history

GreshamSalem

Trails19 mi 55 mi

Conserved land15.8%6.9%

Settled1905 1842

National Register places10 70

Archive photos—12

Community

GreshamSalem

Library hours a week57 hrs 44 hrs

Colleges in town1 2

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined1 0

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

49 miles apart

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

GreshamOR SalemOR

Gresham ↔ Salem49 miles apart

Who commutes between them

929 Gresham residents work in Salem (1.9% of its workers)

Work & commute in Gresham →

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.

Only big differences vs Oregon average

GreshamSalem

People

Population 112,378Lowest 178,865Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.2%Lowest OR: +10.6% +13.5%Highest OR: +10.6%

Median age 37±1Highest 8% below OR 36±0.6Lowest 11% below OR

Gresham and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 22.7%±1.3Lowest OR: 19.9% 22.8%±0.9Highest OR: 19.9%

Salem and Gresham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 15.1%±0.9Lowest OR: 19.1% 15.8%±0.7Highest OR: 19.1%

Salem and Gresham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.3%Lowest OR: 36.8% 31.5%Highest OR: 36.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.3%±1.1Lowest OR: 5.7% 5.4%±0.5Highest OR: 5.7%

Salem and Gresham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $77,795±$4kHighest 6% below OR $75,487±$2kLowest 9% below OR

Gresham and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $458,700±$5kHighest 4% below OR $416,900±$6kLowest 13% below OR

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,586±$37Highest 4% above OR $1,400±$29Lowest 8% below OR

Property taxmedian, yearly $4,174Highest 8% above OR $4,007Lowest 3% above OR

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59%±4.3Highest OR: 52.5% 54.9%±3.4Lowest OR: 52.5%

Gresham and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 13%Lowest OR: 11.9% 14.4%Highest OR: 11.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 55.8%Lowest OR: 63.3% 55.9%Highest OR: 63.3%

Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest same as OR 1980Lowest 1 yr older than OR

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 13% above OR 22 minLowest 4% below OR

Work from home 13%±1.5Lowest OR: 19% 15.8%±1.4Highest OR: 19%

Salem and Gresham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 16.4%Lowest 49.2%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 5.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.75Lowest 1.48Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Portland (41%)Portland (6%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in SalemFew work in Gresham

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 15.8%Highest 6.9%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 18.6 miLowest 54.5 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.8 miLowest 1.1 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 47Lowest 86Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 107Highest 89.6Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #96 of 121 in OR #99 of 121 in OR

School district Centennial SD 28J · Gresham-Barlow SD 10JOregon Department of Education · Willamette ESD

High school in town Centennial High SchoolMcKay High School

Students per teacherat that high school 26.7Highest 24.7Lowest

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.

Gresham neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Living in Gresham

1 neighbor in Gresham can answer.

Salem neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Salem’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Gresham and Salem

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

Bordering Gresham

+ Compare

Portland641,165 people · $582K homes

+ Compare

Fairview10,735 people · $428K homes

+ Compare

Troutdale15,923 people · $456K homes

+ Compare

Orient481 people · $936K homes

Towns like Gresham

+ Compare

Medford86,315 people · $417K homes

+ Compare

Springfield61,499 people · $359K homes

+ Compare

Albany56,839 people · $389K homes

+ Compare

Hillsboro108,231 people · $521K 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.

Gresham vs Salem

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $160 more a month in Gresham

Salem places higher on 14 of 23 OR lists

What daily life feels like in each

49 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Living in Gresham

Set another town beside Gresham and Salem

Bordering Gresham

Towns like Gresham

Post to Gresham

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