The 10 Worst Small Towns In Oregon For 2023


We used Saturday Night Science to determine the worst small towns in Oregon.

By: Nick Johnson | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: October 14, 2023

Most Americans have never been to small town Oregon. However, as the Oregonian who live there know, small town Oregon is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Oregon has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Beaver State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 116 of Oregon’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Oregon where you’d never want to live:

These are the worst small towns in Oregon for 2023:

  1. Warm Springs
  2. Mission
  3. Grand Ronde
  4. Falls City
  5. Burns
  6. Oakridge
  7. Vale
  8. Tri-City
  9. Yoncalla
  10. Clatskanie

So what is the worst small town to call home in Oregon for 2023? According to the most recent census data, Warm Springs is the worst small town to live in Oregon.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Warm Springs home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Oregon or the worst places to live in Oregon.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Oregon For 2023

1. Warm Springs

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,638
Median Home Value: $94,200 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.8% (12th worst)

2. Mission

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,018
Median Home Value: $191,300 (30th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.7% (6th worst)

3. Grand Ronde

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,334
Median Home Value: $183,900 (26th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.9% (17th worst)

4. Falls City

Source: Public Domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,678
Median Home Value: $175,800 (24th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 15.2% (7th worst)

5. Burns

Burns, OR

Source: Wikipedia User Cacophony | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,726
Median Home Value: $85,000 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.7% (37th worst)

6. Oakridge

Oakridge, OR

Source: Wikipedia User Chris Phan (“functoruser”) | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,247
Median Home Value: $167,000 (23rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 20.3% (3rd worst)

7. Vale

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,151
Median Home Value: $115,900 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.3% (18th worst)

8. Tri-City

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,009
Median Home Value: $195,500 (35th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.9% (4th worst)

9. Yoncalla

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,044
Median Home Value: $125,500 (5th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 20.8% (2nd worst)

10. Clatskanie

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,177
Median Home Value: $194,100 (32nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.4% (24th worst)

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Oregon is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Oregon, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2017-2021 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower, the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 116 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Oregon.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Oregon

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Beaver State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Oregon, according to science:

  1. Lafayette (Pop. 4,369)
  2. North Plains (Pop. 3,280)
  3. Maywood Park (Pop. 1,054)

For more Oregon reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Oregon

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Warm Springs 2,638 13.8% $94,200
2 Mission 1,018 15.7% $191,300
3 Grand Ronde 1,334 11.9% $183,900
4 Falls City 1,678 15.2% $175,800
5 Burns 2,726 8.7% $85,000
6 Oakridge 3,247 20.3% $167,000
7 Vale 2,151 11.3% $115,900
8 Tri-City 4,009 18.9% $195,500
9 Yoncalla 1,044 20.8% $125,500
10 Clatskanie 2,177 10.4% $194,100
11 Canyonville 1,903 14.6% $153,400
12 Nyssa 3,180 5.5% $106,100
13 Irrigon 1,993 9.4% $138,600
14 La Pine 2,390 4.4% $276,900
15 Toledo 3,516 15.7% $256,100
16 Boardman 3,748 2.4% $141,600
17 Lakeview 2,566 7.1% $134,900
18 Myrtle Point 2,691 9.8% $189,100
19 Waldport 1,875 13.8% $237,600
20 Cave Junction 2,039 9.2% $197,100
21 Riddle 1,072 9.8% $140,900
22 Reedsport 4,289 3.1% $136,100
23 Bunker Hill 2,438 5.8% $191,700
24 Heppner 1,214 1.3% $131,800
25 Stanfield 2,290 6.9% $141,900
26 Rainier 2,022 4.0% $244,000
27 Merlin 1,767 14.9% $325,900
28 Drain 1,175 2.7% $206,100
29 Myrtle Creek 3,476 4.6% $184,300
30 Willamina 2,511 8.4% $194,500
31 Rockaway Beach 1,456 6.9% $265,900
32 Union 1,927 2.1% $151,900
33 Gold Beach 2,615 6.2% $300,700
34 Lakeside 1,748 2.6% $210,500
35 Chenoweth 1,729 8.8% $223,600
36 Rogue River 1,714 11.9% $212,500
37 Coquille 3,998 5.6% $184,100
38 Enterprise 2,245 10.1% $231,100
39 John Day 1,773 6.4% $140,900
40 Harbor 1,957 12.3% $163,200
41 Rose Lodge 1,645 0.0% $142,500
42 Roseburg North 4,683 9.5% $165,600
43 Wood Village 4,435 2.2% $207,900
44 Terrebonne 1,442 26.7% $334,600
45 Mill City 1,904 9.5% $206,700
46 Dayton 2,672 11.2% $247,600
47 Glide 1,431 6.4% $289,900
48 Elgin 1,520 2.3% $143,900
49 Barview 1,732 9.6% $178,400
50 Gervais 2,585 7.8% $249,800
51 Glasgow 1,002 0.0% $317,400
52 Donald 1,200 10.0% $223,600
53 Vernonia 2,270 7.3% $235,000
54 Sheridan 4,826 7.1% $215,100
55 Hines 1,685 10.6% $131,400
56 Tangent 1,332 6.8% $277,300
57 Oakland 1,360 12.1% $239,400
58 Culver 2,098 4.7% $194,800
59 Mount Angel 3,397 5.2% $301,300
60 Jefferson 3,329 10.6% $261,200
61 Odell 2,569 6.0% $263,600
62 Gold Hill 1,171 7.4% $240,800
63 Bandon 3,285 2.6% $337,600
64 Shady Cove 3,072 5.3% $196,000
65 Williams 1,033 0.0% $326,800
66 Redwood 3,207 7.1% $325,000
67 New Hope 1,422 13.9% $323,100
68 Harrisburg 3,645 6.7% $226,000
69 Athena 1,307 9.2% $141,000
70 Bay City 2,334 2.0% $275,000
71 Mulino 2,251 13.4% $554,500
72 Phoenix 4,452 4.3% $236,500
73 Pilot Rock 1,193 3.3% $125,900
74 Lincoln Beach 2,561 6.2% $315,100
75 Island City 1,094 2.5% $213,400
76 Ruch 1,184 2.3% $333,900
77 Lowell 1,046 1.8% $209,000
78 Estacada 4,353 7.4% $363,000
79 Cascade Locks 1,530 2.3% $296,800
80 Halsey 1,458 6.1% $228,200
81 Hubbard 3,422 2.2% $314,100
82 Aumsville 4,193 6.4% $240,100
83 Amity 1,789 1.7% $241,500
84 Depoe Bay 2,140 10.7% $286,000
85 Coburg 1,521 10.9% $367,900
86 Joseph 1,252 2.7% $261,100
87 Three Rivers 3,597 8.0% $354,400
88 Pacific City 1,362 0.0% $425,600
89 King City 4,992 4.6% $299,100
90 Carlton 2,219 3.5% $339,200
91 Lyons 1,247 9.4% $366,300
92 Eagle Crest 3,068 2.7% $515,000
93 Brownsville 1,906 2.6% $263,800
94 Cannon Beach 1,311 0.0% $580,600
95 Jacksonville 2,984 5.6% $486,200
96 Gearhart 1,955 4.6% $429,400
97 Durham 2,073 3.0% $610,100
98 Turner 2,306 3.4% $332,500
99 Dunes City 1,151 1.4% $391,500
100 Sunriver 1,530 0.0% $560,700
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

 Worst

13 thoughts on “The 10 Worst Small Towns In Oregon For 2023”

  1. Getting ready to build a new home right between #8 Long Creek and #4 Monument. Can’t wait to get the heck away from city folks.

    Reply

  2. I have lived in Portland for 15 years, but am from eastern Oregon. Having experience living in both rural and metropolitan areas, I can tell you that there are a lot of things that I miss about eastern Oregon, not the least of which is the wonderful, down-to-earth, people that live there. Most live there by choice to get away from the rat race in metro living. You can breathe fresh air, drive without the jerk behind you tailgating and cussing you out, enjoy the beautiful expanse of wilderness, and you can actually see the stars at nighttime… hmmmm, sounds to me like eastern Oregon is a terrible place to live 😉 Don’t ever move there! LOL

    Reply

    1. I’m totally with you. I believe city folks are jealous. They live in hell and we live in God’s country.

      Reply

      2. Oh you guys are making it sound great. I live in the city with my family. We have had it. Im tired of it. I am trying to figure out what to do for work out there. I want a tiny house out there. Thanks for the extra info. Geez it sounds swell. Lol.

        Reply

  3. LOL, I grew up in a small farming community. I have never lived in any of these towns but I have for some obscure reason visited or driving through them and I would never ever consider raising a family or retiring in any of the towns. Education, medical, and crime rate, etc. etc. just to name a few.

    Reply

  4. I’ve spent almost all of my summers and nearly as many winter vacations in Seneca, 33 years now. It’s one of my favorite places in this whole country, and I’ve visited almost every state. Seneca is ridiculously beautiful and the people are friendly.

    Reply

  5. Uh, I think some of the numbers are messed up. Both Joseph and Prairie City have quite a few more people living there than “1”…

    Normally I am a staunch defender of small towns in Eastern Oregon (which you have to understand mostly doesn’t have the per capita to qualify as rural, so it’s still technically considered “frontier”). However, I’d have to agree with most of the list here. But, between these towns there are also some real gems. (but I won’t spill the beans)

    Reply

  6. Ukiah’s $204,500 medium home price is the value of all of the houses there. The town is filled with older double wide trailers. Someone is feeding you BS.

    Reply

  7. Hahahahaha …. wait … HAHAHAHAHAHA …. Hey Bud of the Tapman. Try this for some real online info-tainment: ‘Ultimate Top 10 Best Worst Websites Ever’, by a person posing as a team of unqualified experts trying to convince unsuspecting online readers that their so called facts based on ‘data crunching’ numbers and ‘what kind of science bud?’ adds up to any truth, but really is just YOUR baseless opinion meant for info-taining. It’ll be redundant to list ‘RoadSnacks’ ten times, but eventually you’ll get the point bud and online readers will actually have some real quality info-tainment to snack on and enjoy.

    Reply

  8. Infotainment is a new word for me, but still, in articles like this, I’d appreciate a little honesty.

    #5 is Falls City, and while it might be a raging shithole (Sorry Falls City people, you had to hear it from me) the picture of some downtown area in what you would suppose is Falls City is actually from Snow Hill, Maryland. I don’t know what level of inept you have to be to fake a pic, but there it is.

    Maybe the author was too afraid to visit the area? (Wise choice!)

    Reply

  10. I appreciate your methodology and data that you use. Lakeview, Oregon is by far the worst place in Oregon that I know when you add in the “scenery”, the level of hatred for anyone who doesn’t fit into the town’s narrow world view, and the attitude towards education. I hope to see it higher on the list in the future, it is its own worst enemy and the data will soon follow.

    Reply

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