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Compare towns

Rufus vs Halfway

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

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

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 →
HalfwayHomes around $337K
Housing$337K typical home32% below the OR typical home SchoolsBetter than 35%of OR districts All about Halfway →
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.

Rufus$1,060/mo
Typical home $183K (Census) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $800/mo · Housing →
Halfway$2,000/mo
Typical home $337K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.83% · or rent about $831/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
RufusHalfway
Snow a year6″62″
January low29°F19°F
July high88°F90°F
Growing season (days)191d130d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd69th
Outdoors & history
RufusHalfway
Settled19651909
Archive photos—5
Famous people born here—2
Community
RufusHalfway
Library hours a week—15 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
–RufusNot graded C+HalfwayBetter than 35% of districts in the state
Where they are

185 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RufusORHalfwayOR
Rufus ↔ Halfway185 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.

RufusHalfway
People
Population 212Lowest 312Highest
Median age 48±15Lowest 19% above OR 48.9±22.8Highest 21% 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 20.3%±15.6Lowest OR: 19.9% 23.1%±6.8Highest 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+ 27.8%±9Lowest OR: 19.1% 30.4%±2.4Highest 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+ 13.2%Highest OR: 36.8% 11.6%Lowest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.4%±6.6Lowest OR: 5.7% 3.5%±6.6Highest 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 $39,306±$14kHighest 53% below OR $38,654±$5kLowest 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 $182,800±$48kLowest 62% below OR $246,700±$97kHighest 48% 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 $800±$107Lowest 48% below OR $831±$436Highest 46% 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 $1,211Lowest 69% below OR $2,043Highest 47% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.7%±68.2Lowest OR: 52.5% 78.3%±100Highest 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 24.5%Highest OR: 11.9% 11.9%Lowest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 72.4%Highest OR: 63.3% 67.5%Lowest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 2 yrs newer than OR 1967Lowest 14 yrs older than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minHighest 50% below OR 10 minLowest 58% below OR
Work from home 0%±18.3Lowest OR: 19% 8.3%±9.3Highest 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 4.7%Lowest 15.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 miLowest 35.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.58Lowest 1.22Highest
Top workplaceoutside town The Dalles (15%)Baker City (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HalfwayFew work in Rufus
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 38.8%Highest 0%Lowest
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 20.9Lowest 92.7Highest
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.

Rufus neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rufus’s Town Square.

Halfway neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Halfway’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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