St. Helens, OR housing market
The typical St. Helens home is worth about $422,000, down 0.7% in a year, 15% below the Oregon typical home. Homes typically sell in 8 days, close to asking.
Home values, sales, trends and how St. Helens compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
St. Helens at a glance
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 3.8 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Typical home value, 2016–2026
Show as a table
| January | St. Helens | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $246,000 | $313,000 |
| 2018 | $272,000 | $337,000 |
| 2019 | $292,000 | $354,000 |
| 2020 | $310,000 | $369,000 |
| 2021 | $347,000 | $411,000 |
| 2022 | $402,000 | $480,000 |
| 2023 | $411,000 | $490,000 |
| 2024 | $414,000 | $495,000 |
| 2025 | $427,000 | $504,000 |
| 2026 | $426,000 | $500,000 |
| August 2026 | $422,000 | $496,000 |
8 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 8 new homes in St. Helens in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $2.8 million to build. That's 0.6 per 1,000 residents, slower than across Oregon (3.8). Over the past 10 years, St. Helens has permitted 492 homes in all.
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, St. Helens gained 934 residents while 347 new homes were permitted: about 2.7 new residents per new home. Building and growth moved roughly in step. Across Oregon: 2.6 new residents per new home.
How St. Helens ranks on housing keeping up with growth →
Residents: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 and 2020 censuses. New homes: permits issued 2010–2019.
Show as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2025 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2024 | 12 | 8 | 4 | $2.7 million |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2022 | 22 | 12 | 10 | $5.8 million |
| 2021 | 122 | 122 | 0 | $32.8 million |
| 2020 | 118 | 82 | 36 | $24.6 million |
| 2019 | 129 | 22 | 107 | $18 million |
| 2018 | 27 | 11 | 16 | $3.7 million |
| 2017 | 27 | 24 | 3 | $5.6 million |
| 2016 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2015 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $5.7 million |
| 2014 | 32 | 32 | 0 | $6.9 million |
| 2013 | 42 | 36 | 6 | $8.5 million |
| 2012 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2011 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2010 | 17 | 13 | 4 | $2.8 million |
| 2009 | 12 | 10 | 2 | $1.9 million |
| 2008 | 36 | 27 | 9 | $5.3 million |
| 2007 | 74 | 70 | 4 | $11.6 million |
| 2006 | 77 | 73 | 4 | $13.4 million |
| 2005 | 171 | 161 | 10 | $28.4 million |
| 2004 | 155 | 149 | 6 | $22.9 million |
| 2003 | 82 | 64 | 18 | $14.6 million |
| 2002 | 183 | 127 | 56 | $21.4 million |
| 2001 | 127 | 117 | 10 | $13.4 million |
| 2000 | 143 | 123 | 20 | $16.1 million |
How St. Helens ranks on new homes being built →
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, through August 2026.
St. Helens and its neighbors
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Helens | $422K | −0.7% | $1,800 | 8 | $82,865 |
| Columbia City | $475K | −1.4% | $1,800 | 2 | $96,750 |
5.1 years of income
The typical St. Helens home costs about 5.1 years of the town's median household income, less than across Oregon (6 years).
How St. Helens ranks on affordability →
Home value ÷ ACS median household income.
Owners, rent & taxes
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in St. Helens is $1,800 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in St. Helens pay a median of $1,413, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put. A two-bedroom takes about 26% of the town's median household income.
Studio $1,470 · 4 bedrooms $2,900
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (97051, 97053; Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA), weighted by land area. A Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, August 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers.