How Salem compares across Oregon
Salem is ranked on 40 lists against the 147 Oregon towns with 2,500+ residents.
Salem out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Younger than 82% of Oregon
Not better or worse, just Salem’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Salem lands in the top half on 12 of 26 lists
Each dot is Salem’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in OR, the right end is last. Areas where Salem does best come first.
The lists Salem does best on
Each list ranks every OR town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Salem marked.
Where Salem lands in every OR ranking
40 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
People
Most educated#1 Lake Oswego · 74.8%
#53
Youngest#1 Nyssa · 25.1
#27
Oldest#1 Eagle Crest · 67.7
#121
Most residents 65+#1 Eagle Crest · 60.3%
#96
Most kids#1 Nyssa · 40.6%
#49 Health
Healthiest#1 Bethany · 99 / 100
#91
Lowest obesity#1 Eagle Crest · 25%
#128
Fewest smokers#1 Lake Oswego · 6%
#48
Most active#1 West Haven-Sylvan · 14%
#64
Fewest uninsured#1 Lake Oswego · 4%
#128
Lowest depression#1 Bethany · 20%
#78
Closest to a top hospital#1 Hood River · 0.3 mi
#104 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Lakeview · 7.3 min
#62 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Eagle Crest · 35%
#75
Most new homes#1 Phoenix · 21.7 per 1,000
#35
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Baker City · +77.2%
#68
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Wood Village · 8.2 per home
#32 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Eagle Crest · 45.7%
#49
Most trails#1 Jacksonville · 5.6 mi / sq mi
#55
Most walkable#1 King City · 270 / sq mi
#84 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Seaside · 13.7 per resident
#30
Most library borrowing#1 Stayton · 17.8 per resident
#16
Best libraries for kids#1 Eugene · 38.4 per child
#16 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Burns · 2.3 yrs
#68
E
Cheapest rent#1 Estacada · $682/mo
#71
Lowest property tax#1 Tri-City · $1,418/yr
#100
Rent easiest to afford#1 Junction City · 31.5%
#38 
Safety
Safest#1 Gervais · 10.2
#66 
The number on the right is Salem’s spot. All of Oregon’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every OR list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.