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%

Medford$2,400/mo

Typical home $408K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $1,376/mo · Housing →

Gresham$2,790/mo

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

The difference: $380 a month, about $4,600 a year, between Gresham and Medford.

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

Medford places higher on 17 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

DMedfordSafer than 8% of U.S. towns C−GreshamSafer than 16% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−MedfordBetter than 54% of districts in the state B−GreshamBetter than 45% of districts in the state

Health

B−MedfordHealthier than 53% of U.S. towns B−GreshamHealthier than 47% of U.S. towns

17Medford

6Gresham

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

Shortest commuteGetting around · 147 towns #25#110 Lowest depressionHealth · 147 towns #54#136 Most new homesHousing · 82 towns #24#61 Best schoolsSchools · 121 towns #50#96 Most conserved landOutdoors · 141 towns #70#19 Fastest growingGrowth · 140 towns #40#78 Lowest property taxCost of living · 147 towns #68#107 Highest graduation rateSchools · 139 towns #81#114

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

MedfordGresham

Snow a year3″3″

January low33°F 37°F

July high92°F 82°F

Growing season (days)204d 251d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)52nd 57th

Outdoors & history

MedfordGresham

Trails26 mi 19 mi

Conserved land4.4%15.8%

Settled1884 1905

National Register places43 10

Archive photos12 —

Community

MedfordGresham

Library hours a week52 hrs 57 hrs

Colleges in town1 1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 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.

Where they are

220 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MedfordOR GreshamOR

Medford ↔ Gresham220 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.

Only big differences vs Oregon average

MedfordGresham

People

Population 86,315Lowest 112,378Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +14.6%Highest OR: +10.6% +8.2%Lowest OR: +10.6%

Median age 38.9±1.1Highest 4% below OR 37±1Lowest 8% below OR

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

Kids under 18 22.9%±1.2Highest OR: 19.9% 22.7%±1.3Lowest OR: 19.9%

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

Age 65+ 19.5%±1.1Highest OR: 19.1% 15.1%±0.9Lowest OR: 19.1%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 30.1%Highest OR: 36.8% 23.3%Lowest OR: 36.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.8%±0.6Lowest OR: 5.7% 5.3%±1.1Highest OR: 5.7%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $73,230±$4kLowest 12% below OR $77,795±$4kHighest 6% below OR

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $417,100±$9kLowest 13% below OR $458,700±$5kHighest 4% below OR

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,376±$40Lowest 10% below OR $1,586±$37Highest 4% above OR

Property taxmedian, yearly $3,236Lowest 17% below OR $4,174Highest 8% above OR

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57%±4.1Lowest OR: 52.5% 59%±4.3Highest OR: 52.5%

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

Below poverty line 13.2%Highest OR: 11.9% 13%Lowest OR: 11.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 56.3%Highest OR: 63.3% 55.8%Lowest OR: 63.3%

Typical home builtmedian year 1984Highest 3 yrs newer than OR 1981Lowest same as OR

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 28% below OR 26 minHighest 13% above OR

Work from home 10.5%±1.6Lowest OR: 19% 13%±1.5Highest OR: 19%

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

Work in townworking residents 55.3%Highest 16.4%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 3.3 miLowest 9.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.46Highest 0.75Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Ashland (5%)Portland (41%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in GreshamFew work in Medford

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 4.4%Lowest 15.8%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 26.3 miHighest 18.6 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.9 miHighest 0.8 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 21Lowest 47Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 95.1Lowest 107Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #50 of 121 in OR #96 of 121 in OR

School district Medford SD 549C · Phoenix-Talent SD 4Centennial SD 28J · Gresham-Barlow SD 10J

High school in town South Medford High SchoolCentennial High School

Students per teacherat that high school 23.7Lowest 26.7Highest

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.

Medford neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Medford’s Town Square.

Gresham neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Living in Gresham

1 neighbor in Gresham can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Medford and Gresham

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

Bordering Medford

+ Compare

Central Point19,216 people · $389K homes

+ Compare

Phoenix4,390 people · $415K homes

Towns like Medford

+ Compare

Albany56,839 people · $389K homes

+ Compare

Springfield61,499 people · $359K homes

+ Compare

Salem178,865 people · $417K homes

+ Compare

Keizer39,082 people · $434K 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.

Medford vs Gresham

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $380 more a month in Gresham

Medford places higher on 17 of 23 OR lists

What daily life feels like in each

220 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Living in Gresham

Set another town beside Medford and Gresham

Bordering Medford

Towns like Medford

Post to Medford

Check your email