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Compare towns

Wasco vs Echo

73 miles apart. The biggest differences: kids under 18 (+12 pts in Echo) and property tax bill (+18% in Echo).

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Wasco, ORA small town of 455Oregon · 455 people
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Echo, ORA history townOregon · 494 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.

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 →
EchoA history town
HistorySettled in 190410 places on the National Register Housing$295K typical home40% below the OR typical home SchoolsBetter than 71%of OR districts All about Echo →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Kids under 18+12 pts
Echo has more kids
Echo 26.9%Wasco 14.9%
Property tax bill+18%
Tax bills are bigger in Echo
Echo $1,823Wasco $1,543
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $480 more a month in Echo

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.

Wasco$1,330/mo
Typical home $229K (Census) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $1,229/mo · Housing →
Echo$1,810/mo
Typical home $295K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.05% · or rent about $994/mo · Housing →

The difference: $480 a month, about $5,700 a year, between Echo and Wasco.

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
–WascoNot graded B+EchoBetter than 71% of districts in the state
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
WascoEcho
Snow a year6″16″
January low—28°F
July high—89°F
Growing season (days)—174d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd32nd
Outdoors & history
WascoEcho
Trails0 mi0 mi
Conserved land1.3%0%
Settled19011904
National Register places110
Archive photos—11
Community
WascoEcho
Library hours a week—39 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

73 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WascoOREchoOR
Wasco ↔ Echo73 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.

WascoEcho
People
Population 455Lowest 494Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — -9.6% OR: +10.6%
Median age 45.7±14.3Highest 13% above OR 38.3±11.4Lowest 5% below OR
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 14.9%±3.5Lowest OR: 19.9% 26.9%±7.9Highest OR: 19.9%
Age 65+ 29%±2.9Highest OR: 19.1% 23.7%±7.1Lowest OR: 19.1%
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.8%Lowest OR: 36.8% 10.2%Highest OR: 36.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.7%±4.4Highest OR: 5.7% 1.8%±3.1Lowest OR: 5.7%
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,000±$28kLowest 22% below OR $112,639±$78kHighest 36% above OR
Echo and Wasco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $229,300±$34kHighest 52% below OR $173,100±$103kLowest 64% below OR
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,229±$136Highest 19% below OR $994±$222Lowest 35% below OR
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,543Lowest 60% below OR $1,823Highest 53% below OR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 13.3%±43.1Lowest OR: 52.5% 25.7%±73.4Highest OR: 52.5%
Echo and Wasco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 17.4%Highest OR: 11.9% 7.1%Lowest OR: 11.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 74.2%Highest OR: 63.3% 73.4%Lowest OR: 63.3%
Typical home builtmedian year 1964Highest 17 yrs older than OR 1957Lowest 24 yrs older than OR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 23 minLowest about the OR average 25 minHighest 9% above OR
Work from home 5.9%±3.8Highest OR: 19% 0%±7.8Lowest OR: 19%
Wasco and Echo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.4%Highest 2.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.3 miHighest 11.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.26Lowest 0.35Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Moro (14%)Hermiston (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in EchoFew work in Wasco
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.3%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 4Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 61.7Highest 51.0Lowest
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.

Wasco neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wasco’s Town Square.

Echo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Echo’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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