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Compare towns

Rufus vs Wasco

7 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (3× in Wasco) and conserved land (+37.5 pts in Rufus).

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Rufus, ORA small town of 212Oregon · 212 people
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Wasco, ORA small town of 455Oregon · 455 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 →
WascoA small town of 455
Quiet strengthsWasco doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Wasco →
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 grid3×
Wasco has the more walkable street grid
Wasco 61.7Rufus 20.9
Conserved land+37.5 pts
Rufus has more conserved land
Rufus 38.8%Wasco 1.3%
Rent+54%
Rent runs higher in Wasco
Wasco $1,229Rufus $800
Average commute12 min
Rufus has the shorter commute
Wasco 23 minRufus 12 min
Jobs per worker2.2×
Rufus is more of a job hub
Rufus 0.58Wasco 0.26
Property tax bill+27%
Tax bills are bigger in Wasco
Wasco $1,543Rufus $1,211
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $270 more a month in Wasco

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 →
Wasco$1,330/mo
Typical home $229K (Census) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $1,229/mo · Housing →

The difference: $270 a month, about $3,300 a year, between Wasco 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

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
RufusWasco
Snow a year6″6″
January low29°F—
July high88°F—
Growing season (days)191d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd83rd
Outdoors & history
RufusWasco
Trails—0 mi
Conserved land—1.3%
Settled19651901
National Register places—1
Community
RufusWasco
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

7 miles apart

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

RufusWascoRufusWasco
Rufus ↔ Wasco7.1 miles apart
Who commutes between them
3 Rufus residents work in Wasco (2.4% of its workers)
3 Wasco residents work in Rufus (1.8% of its workers)
Work & commute in Rufus →
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.

RufusWasco
People
Population 212Lowest 455Highest
Median age 48±15Highest 19% above OR 45.7±14.3Lowest 13% above OR
Rufus and Wasco 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% 14.9%±3.5Lowest OR: 19.9%
Rufus and Wasco 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%±2.9Highest OR: 19.1%
Wasco 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% 7.8%Lowest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.4%±6.6Lowest OR: 5.7% 3.7%±4.4Highest OR: 5.7%
Wasco 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±$14kLowest 53% below OR $65,000±$28kHighest 22% below OR
Wasco and Rufus 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 $229,300±$34kHighest 52% below OR
Wasco 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 $1,229±$136Highest 19% below OR
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,211Lowest 69% below OR $1,543Highest 60% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.7%±68.2Highest OR: 52.5% 13.3%±43.1Lowest OR: 52.5%
Rufus and Wasco 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% 17.4%Lowest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 72.4%Lowest OR: 63.3% 74.2%Highest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 2 yrs newer than OR 1964Lowest 17 yrs older than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 12 minLowest 50% below OR 23 minHighest about the OR average
Work from home 0%±18.3Lowest OR: 19% 5.9%±3.8Highest OR: 19%
Wasco 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%Highest 2.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 mi 25.3 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.58Highest 0.26Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town The Dalles (15%)Moro (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in Wasco2% work in Rufus
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 38.8%Highest 1.3%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 0Lowest 1Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 20.9Lowest 61.7Highest
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.

Wasco neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wasco’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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