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Compare towns

Ukiah vs Rufus

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

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Ukiah, ORA small town of 177Oregon · 177 people
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Rufus, ORA small town of 212Oregon · 212 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.

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 →
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 →
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
UkiahRufus
Snow a year—6″
January low—29°F
July high—88°F
Growing season (days)—191d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th83rd
Outdoors & history
UkiahRufus
Settled19691965
Archive photos4—
Community
UkiahRufus
Library hours a week48 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.

UkiahORRufusOR
Ukiah ↔ Rufus96 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.

UkiahRufus
People
Population 177Lowest 212Highest
Median age 47.8±24.5Lowest 18% above OR 48±15Highest 19% 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 15.8%±23.4Lowest OR: 19.9% 20.3%±15.6Highest 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+ 29.4%±38.8Highest OR: 19.1% 27.8%±9Lowest 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+ 11.5%Lowest OR: 36.8% 13.2%Highest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 16.4%±10.1Highest OR: 5.7% 1.4%±6.6Lowest 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 $875±$747Highest 43% below OR $800±$107Lowest 48% 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 $1,400Highest 64% below OR $1,211Lowest 69% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 15.4%±100Lowest OR: 52.5% 60.7%±68.2Highest 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 29.1%Highest OR: 11.9% 24.5%Lowest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 82.2%Highest OR: 63.3% 72.4%Lowest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 4 yrs older than OR 1983Highest 2 yrs newer than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 35 minHighest 50% above OR 12 minLowest 50% below OR
Work from home 0%±20 OR: 19% 0%±18.3 OR: 19%
Work in townworking residents 1.8%Lowest 4.7%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 38.3 miHighest 25.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.30Lowest 0.58Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Pendleton (30%)The Dalles (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RufusFew work in Ukiah
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 9.2%Lowest 38.8%Highest
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 132Highest 20.9Lowest
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.

Ukiah neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ukiah’s Town Square.

Rufus neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rufus’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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