Medford, OR: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census the city had a total population of 85,824, making it the eighth-most populous city in Oregon, and a metropolitan area population of 223,259, making the Medford Metropolitan Statistical Area the fifth largest metro area in Oregon. The city was named in 1883 by David Loring, civil engineer and right-of-way agent for the Oregon and California Railroad, after Medford, Massachusetts, which was near Loring's hometown of Concord, Massachusetts. Medford is near the middle fork of Bear Creek.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Medford ranks

All →

#25Shortest commute in OR #40Fastest growing in OR #24Most new homes in OR All OR rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code97501, 97504

Area code458, 541

Living in Medford

Housing in Medford

$408K▲ 1.1% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Medford home is worth about $408,000, up 1.1% in a year, 18% below the Oregon typical home.

A seller's market

Buyer’sBalancedSeller’s

Days on market22

Sale-to-list98.6%

Sold in May115

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Medford

D

Safety Grade D

Medford reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Medford 4

Oregon 3.2

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Medford 36.8

Oregon 21.8

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Medford

Compared with Oregon

3worse than OR

of 26 measures CDC estimates. The other 23 are too close to call.

Conditions 1▼ 11 close Habits all close Care 2▼ 5 close Mind all close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

10.4%More uninsured adultsOR 8.5% · worse 3.6%More adults who have had a strokeOR 3.3% · worse 60.1%Fewer adults seeing a dentistOR 64.7% · worse

Care nearby

Providence Medford Medical CenterMedford · 0.5 mi · ER

Medford Health CenterMedford · 0.8 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careShortage · county-wide

DentalShortage · county-wide

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Medford · CMS · HRSAHealth in Medford →

Schools in Medford

All Medford schools →

B⁻

School Grade B-

The public schools Medford’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 54% of Oregon’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

#50Best public schoolsof 121 in OR

DistrictMedford SD 549CSchools28

Hoover Elementary School A-Elementary · Grades K–5 · 591 students Kids Unlimited Academy C-Elementary · Grades PK–5 · 505 students Lone Pine Elementary School B+Elementary · Grades K–5 · 461 students Abraham Lincoln Elementary B+Elementary · Grades K–5 · 401 students Oak Grove Elementary School C-Elementary · Grades K–5 · 398 students Kennedy Elementary School B-Elementary · Grades K–5 · 393 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within OR. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from MedfordWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Medford.Meet them →