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Compare towns

Halfway vs Rufus

185 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (4.4× in Halfway) and conserved land (+38.8 pts in Rufus).

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Halfway, ORHomes around $337KOregon · 312 people
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Rufus, ORA small town of 212Oregon · 212 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.

HalfwayHomes around $337K
Housing$337K typical home32% below the OR typical home SchoolsBetter than 35%of OR districts All about Halfway →
RufusA small town of 212
Quiet strengthsRufus doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Rufus →
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.

Street grid4.4×
Halfway has the more walkable street grid
Halfway 92.7Rufus 20.9
Conserved land+38.8 pts
Rufus has more conserved land
Rufus 38.8%Halfway 0%
Property tax bill+69%
Tax bills are bigger in Halfway
Halfway $2,043Rufus $1,211
Seasonal homes+25 pts
Halfway has more second homes
Halfway 29%Rufus 4%
Jobs per worker2.1×
Halfway is more of a job hub
Halfway 1.22Rufus 0.58
Work in town+10.9 pts
More of Halfway’s workers stay in town
Halfway 15.6%Rufus 4.7%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $940 more a month in Halfway

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.

Halfway$2,000/mo
Typical home $337K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.83% · or rent about $831/mo · Housing →
Rufus$1,060/mo
Typical home $183K (Census) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $800/mo · Housing →

The difference: $940 a month, about $11,300 a year, between Halfway and Rufus.

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.

Life in each

Halfway gets 57 more inches of snow a year

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
HalfwayRufus
Snow a year62″6″
January low19°F29°F
July high90°F88°F
Growing season (days)130d191d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)69th83rd
Outdoors & history
HalfwayRufus
Settled19091965
Archive photos5—
Famous people born here2—
Community
HalfwayRufus
Library hours a week15 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.

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
C+HalfwayBetter than 35% of districts in the state –RufusNot graded
Where they are

185 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HalfwayORRufusOR
Halfway ↔ Rufus185 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.

HalfwayRufus
People
Population 312Highest 212Lowest
Median age 48.9±22.8Highest 21% above OR 48±15Lowest 19% above OR
Halfway and Rufus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.1%±6.8Highest OR: 19.9% 20.3%±15.6Lowest OR: 19.9%
Halfway and Rufus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 30.4%±2.4Highest OR: 19.1% 27.8%±9Lowest OR: 19.1%
Halfway and Rufus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 11.6%Lowest OR: 36.8% 13.2%Highest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±6.6Highest OR: 5.7% 1.4%±6.6Lowest OR: 5.7%
Halfway and Rufus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $38,654±$5kLowest 53% below OR $39,306±$14kHighest 53% below OR
Rufus and Halfway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $246,700±$97kHighest 48% below OR $182,800±$48kLowest 62% below OR
Halfway and Rufus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $831±$436Highest 46% below OR $800±$107Lowest 48% below OR
Halfway and Rufus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,043Highest 47% below OR $1,211Lowest 69% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 78.3%±100Highest OR: 52.5% 60.7%±68.2Lowest OR: 52.5%
Halfway and Rufus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11.9%Lowest OR: 11.9% 24.5%Highest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 67.5%Lowest OR: 63.3% 72.4%Highest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1967Lowest 14 yrs older than OR 1983Highest 2 yrs newer than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 10 minLowest 58% below OR 12 minHighest 50% below OR
Work from home 8.3%±9.3Highest OR: 19% 0%±18.3Lowest OR: 19%
Halfway and Rufus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 15.6%Highest 4.7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 35.8 miHighest 25.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.22Highest 0.58Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Baker City (14%)The Dalles (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RufusFew work in Halfway
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0%Lowest 38.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 92.7Highest 20.9Lowest
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.

Halfway neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Halfway’s Town Square.

Rufus neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rufus’s Town Square.

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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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