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Compare towns

Sunriver vs Joseph

230 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (110× in Sunriver) and home values (2.2× in Sunriver).

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Sunriver, ORA regional job hubOregon · 1,488 people
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Joseph, ORKnown for its schoolsOregon · 1,054 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.

SunriverA regional job hub
Work1,498 jobsbased in Sunriver, a regional job hub HealthHealthier than 91%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 83%of OR districts All about Sunriver →
JosephKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 97%of OR districts All about Joseph →
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.

Trails110×
Sunriver has more miles of trail
Sunriver 11.0 miJoseph 0.1 mi
Home values2.2×
Homes cost more in Sunriver
Sunriver $727,600Joseph $334,900
Growth since 2010+38.4 pts
Sunriver has grown faster since 2010
Sunriver +45.2%Joseph +6.8%
Work from home+37.3 pts
More people work from home in Sunriver
Sunriver 52.1%Joseph 14.8%
Property tax bill2.2×
Tax bills are bigger in Sunriver
Sunriver $4,799Joseph $2,157
Seasonal homes+62.1 pts
Sunriver has more second homes
Sunriver 79.6%Joseph 17.5%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,360 more a month in Sunriver

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.

Sunriver$4,220/mo
Typical home $728K (Census) · tax rate 0.66% · Housing →
Joseph$2,850/mo
Typical home $494K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $1,151/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,360 a month, about $16,300 a year, between Sunriver and Joseph.

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

Joseph gets 33 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
SunriverJoseph
Snow a year22″54″
January low25°F19°F
July high84°F79°F
Growing season (days)105d126d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)78th77th
Outdoors & history
SunriverJoseph
Trails11 mi0 mi
Conserved land15.5%1.8%
Settled—1887
National Register places—3
Archive photos6—
Community
SunriverJoseph
Library hours a week40 hrs32 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.

Safety
B−SunriverSafer than 48% of U.S. towns –JosephNot graded
Schools
A−SunriverBetter than 83% of districts in the state A+JosephBetter than 97% of districts in the state
Health
ASunriverHealthier than 91% of U.S. towns BJosephHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns
Where they are

230 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

SunriverORJosephOR
Sunriver ↔ Joseph230 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.

SunriverJoseph
People
Population 1,488Highest 1,054Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +45.2%Highest OR: +10.6% +6.8%Lowest OR: +10.6%
Median age 70.7±1.7Highest 75% above OR 58±10.5Lowest 44% above OR
Kids under 18 0%±2.5Lowest OR: 19.9% 15.8%±6.7Highest OR: 19.9%
Age 65+ 72.2%±7.7Highest OR: 19.1% 36.6%±7.5Lowest OR: 19.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 71%Highest OR: 36.8% 51.8%Lowest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±1.2Lowest OR: 5.7% 3.4%±3.6Highest OR: 5.7%
Joseph and Sunriver are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $82,287±$34kHighest about the OR average $54,444±$8kLowest 34% below OR
Sunriver and Joseph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $727,600±$117kHighest 52% above OR $334,900±$46kLowest 30% below OR
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,151±$369 25% below OR
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,799Highest 24% above OR $2,157Lowest 44% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100Highest OR: 52.5% 42.7%±29Lowest OR: 52.5%
Sunriver and Joseph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.7%Highest OR: 11.9% 5.7%Lowest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 91.9%Highest OR: 63.3% 67%Lowest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1988Highest 7 yrs newer than OR 1982Lowest 1 yr newer than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minHighest 10% above OR 16 minLowest 29% below OR
Work from home 52.1%±25Highest OR: 19% 14.8%±9.2Lowest OR: 19%
Work in townworking residents 11.6%Lowest 20.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 83.3 miHighest 5.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 3.29Highest 1.06Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Bend (22%)Enterprise (32%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in JosephFew work in Sunriver
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 15.5%Highest 1.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 11.0 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 85.1Lowest 112Highest
Schools
School district Bend-LaPine Administrative SD 1—
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.

Sunriver neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sunriver’s Town Square.

Joseph neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Joseph’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Sunriver and Joseph

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Bordering Sunriver

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Three Rivers3,995 people · $558K homes

Towns like Sunriver

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Yachats979 people · $558K homes
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Depoe Bay1,782 people · $378K homes
A
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Aurora1,030 people · $525K homes
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Cannon Beach1,361 people · $823K 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.

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