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Compare towns

Rufus vs Ukiah

96 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (6.3× in Ukiah) and average commute (23 min in Rufus).

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Rufus, ORA small town of 212Oregon · 212 people
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Ukiah, ORA small town of 177Oregon · 177 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 →
UkiahA small town of 177
Quiet strengthsUkiah doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Ukiah →
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 grid6.3×
Ukiah has the more walkable street grid
Ukiah 132Rufus 20.9
Average commute23 min
Rufus has the shorter commute
Ukiah 35 minRufus 12 min
Conserved land+29.6 pts
Rufus has more conserved land
Rufus 38.8%Ukiah 9.2%
Seasonal homes+20.3 pts
Ukiah has more second homes
Ukiah 24.3%Rufus 4%
Jobs per worker+93%
Rufus is more of a job hub
Rufus 0.58Ukiah 0.30
Homeowners+9.8 pts renters
Rufus has more renters
Ukiah 82.2%Rufus 72.4%
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
RufusUkiah
Snow a year6″—
January low29°F—
July high88°F—
Growing season (days)191d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd87th
Outdoors & history
RufusUkiah
Settled19651969
Archive photos—4
Community
RufusUkiah
Library hours a week—48 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.

Where they are

96 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RufusORUkiahOR
Rufus ↔ Ukiah96 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.

RufusUkiah
People
Population 212Highest 177Lowest
Median age 48±15Highest 19% above OR 47.8±24.5Lowest 18% above OR
Rufus and Ukiah are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.3%±15.6Highest OR: 19.9% 15.8%±23.4Lowest OR: 19.9%
Rufus and Ukiah 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% 29.4%±38.8Highest OR: 19.1%
Ukiah 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% 11.5%Lowest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.4%±6.6Lowest OR: 5.7% 16.4%±10.1Highest OR: 5.7%
Ukiah 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±$14k 53% below OR —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $182,800±$48k 62% below OR —
Rentmedian gross, monthly $800±$107Lowest 48% below OR $875±$747Highest 43% below OR
Ukiah 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 $1,400Highest 64% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.7%±68.2Highest OR: 52.5% 15.4%±100Lowest OR: 52.5%
Rufus and Ukiah are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 24.5%Lowest OR: 11.9% 29.1%Highest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 72.4%Lowest OR: 63.3% 82.2%Highest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 2 yrs newer than OR 1977Lowest 4 yrs older than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 50% below OR 35 minHighest 50% above OR
Work from home 0%±18.3 OR: 19% 0%±20 OR: 19%
Work in townworking residents 4.7%Highest 1.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 miLowest 38.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.58Highest 0.30Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town The Dalles (15%)Pendleton (30%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in UkiahFew work in Rufus
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 38.8%Highest 9.2%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 132Highest
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.

Ukiah neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ukiah’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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