Compare towns
Lostine vs Harper 113 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (16.8× in Lostine) and property tax bill (+53% in Lostine).
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.
Lostine A small town of 255
Quiet strengths Lostine doesn’t stand out on the data we have Neighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Lostine →
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.
★ What stands out · Monthly cost A typical home costs $1,940 more a month in Lostine 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 payment3.5% 10% 20% Rate
Lostine $3,140 /mo
Typical home $466K (Zillow) · tax rate est. 1.8% · or rent about $1,368/mo · Housing →
Harper $1,200 /mo
Typical home $215K (Census) · tax rate 0.40% · Housing →
The difference: $1,940 a month , about $23,300 a year , between Lostine and Harper.
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 Lostine gets 42 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.
Outdoors & history
National Register places 1 —
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.
Where they are 113 miles apart Straight-line miles between town centers.
Lostine ↔ Harper 113 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.
Raising kids Affordability Owning a home Short commute Working from home Younger crowd Settled, older crowd Growing town Outdoorsy Walkable streets
Population
255 Highest 219 Lowest
Median age
32.8 ±8.4 Lowest 19% below OR 34.4 ±15.8 Highest 15% below OR
Kids under 18
28.2% ±9.7 Lowest OR: 19.9% 41.1% ±29.2 Highest OR: 19.9%
Age 65+
22% ±10.6 Highest OR: 19.1% 16.9% ±10.5 Lowest OR: 19.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+
8.4% Lowest OR: 36.8% 9.6% Highest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents
0.8% ±1.4 Highest OR: 5.7% 0% ±8.4 Lowest OR: 5.7%
Household incomemedian
$80,521 ±$23k Highest about the OR average $48,750 ±$16k Lowest 41% below OR
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied
— $215,400 ±$74k 55% below OR
Rentmedian gross, monthly
$1,368 ±$31 10% below OR —
Property taxmedian, yearly
$1,306 Highest 66% below OR $852 Lowest 78% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent
45.5% ±100 Highest OR: 52.5% 0% ±100 Lowest OR: 52.5%
Below poverty line
18.3% Highest OR: 11.9% 5.5% Lowest OR: 11.9%
Homeownersof occupied homes
71.4% Lowest OR: 63.3% 82.5% Highest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year
1974 Highest 7 yrs older than OR 1968 Lowest 13 yrs older than OR
Average commuteone way
26 min Lowest 13% above OR 27 min Highest 18% above OR
Work from home
14.3% ±18.3 Highest OR: 19% 11.3% ±8.6 Lowest OR: 19%
Work in townworking residents
7.8% Highest 0% Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line
8.8 mi Lowest 66.3 mi Highest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub
0.78 Lowest 1.55 Highest
Top workplaceoutside town
Enterprise (25%) Ontario (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others
Few work in Harper Few work in Lostine
Conserved landshare of the town
0.1% Highest 0% Lowest
Trailsmapped miles
0.0 mi Lowest 3.6 mi Highest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi
0.0 mi Lowest 0.5 mi Highest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map
0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure
45.3 Highest 2.7 Lowest
“±” Census margin of error ACS 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.
Lostine or Harper: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Lostine? → Moving to Lostine: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Lostine’s Town Square.
Harper or Lostine: which would you pick? → What’s it really like to live in Harper? → Moving to Harper: what should I know? →
Your question goes to Harper’s Town Square.
Add a town Set another town beside Lostine and Harper One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.
Towns like Lostine 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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