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%

Seneca$860/mo

Typical home $156K (Census) · tax rate 0.34% · Housing →

Sumpter$1,780/mo

Typical home $265K (Zillow) · tax rate est. 1.8% · Housing →

The difference: $920 a month, about $11,000 a year, between Sumpter and Seneca.

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

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

B+SenecaBetter than 68% of districts in the state –SumpterNot graded

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

SenecaSumpter

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)90th 75th

Outdoors & history

SenecaSumpter

Trails1 mi 4 mi

Conserved land0.5%18.7%

Settled1970 1898

National Register places—2

Archive photos6 38

Community

SenecaSumpter

Library hours a week—15 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

57 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

SenecaOR SumpterOR

Seneca ↔ Sumpter57 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

SenecaSumpter

People

Population 109Lowest 197Highest

Median age 67.8±16.2Lowest 68% above OR 69.9±1.7Highest 73% above OR

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

Kids under 18 9.2%±24.3Highest OR: 19.9% 0%±18.7Lowest OR: 19.9%

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

Age 65+ 51.4%±32.3Lowest OR: 19.1% 85.3%±78.1Highest OR: 19.1%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 19.2%Highest OR: 36.8% 15.7%Lowest OR: 36.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±16.9 OR: 5.7% 0%±9.3 OR: 5.7%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $39,821±$39kHighest 52% below OR $26,471±$7kLowest 68% below OR

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $156,300±$29k 67% below OR —

Property taxmedian, yearly $538Lowest 86% below OR $1,333Highest 66% below OR

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50%±100Highest OR: 52.5% 0%±100Lowest OR: 52.5%

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

Below poverty line 22%Highest OR: 11.9% 19.3%Lowest OR: 11.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 85.9%Lowest OR: 63.3% 96.3%Highest OR: 63.3%

Typical home builtmedian year 1947Lowest 34 yrs older than OR 1967Highest 14 yrs older than OR

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 17 min 25% below OR —

Work from home 0%±27.7 OR: 19% 0%±86.7 OR: 19%

Work in townworking residents 1.5%Lowest 3.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 116.3 miHighest 35.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.23Lowest 2.51Highest

Top workplaceoutside town John Day (8%)Baker City (28%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SumpterFew work in Seneca

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.5%Lowest 18.7%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.8 miLowest 4.2 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miLowest 1.9 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1 1

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 38.0Highest 29.9Lowest

Schools

School district John Day SD 3—

High school in town None in town—

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.

Seneca neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Seneca’s Town Square.

Sumpter neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sumpter’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Seneca

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Spray89 people · $269K homes

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Westfir253 people · $302K homes

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Imbler189 people · $275K homes

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Haines209 people · $112K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Oregon towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Seneca vs Sumpter

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $920 more a month in Sumpter

Grades and rankings, side by side

What daily life feels like in each

57 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Seneca and Sumpter

Towns like Seneca

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