Known as the “Beaver State” and located in the northwest corner of the United States between California and Washington, Oregon has a surprisingly varied climate, ranging from lush, mild weather with plenty of rain near the coast, to dryness and extreme temperatures farther east. Not only does Oregon have a rich, wild history, the state is still known for quirky culture, incredible natural wonders such as Crater Lake and surprising historical attractions such as the Historic Carousel and Museum. Oregon is also home to a number of fine educational institutions including the University of Oregon, Reed College, Lewis & Clark College and Oregon State University. Let’s see which cities in Oregon make the grade for their safety.
How We Determined the Safest Cities in Oregon
We narrowed down the safest cities in each state based on two primary categories. First, we evaluated public safety factors including violent, property and hate crimes in each area to help determine the safest areas to live. We then evaluated financial and socioeconomic factors including household income, average rent and health insurance. In addition, we evaluated each state for natural disaster safety and public health safety. You can find a detailed breakdown of our methodology and links to sources here.
Here are the public safety factors we counted for each city:
*Public safety data is based on a population of 10,000 (for example, a “2” means two incidents for every 10,000 people).
- Property crime – Number of property crimes reported in the city (FBI Crime Report)
- Violent crime – Number of violent crimes reported in the city (FBI Crime Report)
- Aggravated assaults – Number of aggravated assaults reported in the city (FBI Crime Report)
- Hate crime – Number of hate crimes reported in the city (FBI Hate Crime Report)
- Officer-related incidents – Number of officer-involved shootings reported in the city (Gun Violence Archive)
- Mass shootings – Incidents in which four or more people are shot/killed in the city (Gun Violence Archive)
Here are the financial safety factors we counted for each city:
- Annual rent – Annualized median rent
- Unemployment rate – The average rate of unemployed residents in each city
- Cost of living – The average annual rent and household income per city
- Poverty rate – Percentage of families that reported experiencing poverty in the last 12 months
- Uninsured employed – Percentage of employed residents that reported not having health insurance
- Uninsured unemployed – Percentage of unemployed residents that reported not having health insurance
19 Safest Cities in Oregon
No. 1 West Linn
The town of West Linn — the ”City of Hills, Trees and Rivers” — earns its spot as the safest city in Oregon due to its low cost of living, high income, low poverty level, low percentage of uninsured unemployed residents and internet access in virtually every household. West Linn has also been acknowledged as having one of the most educated populations in Oregon.
95out of 100
Public Safety
82out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 2.598946 (2nd) 6.311725 (1st) 86.87904 (1st) 1.113834 (14th) 1.113834 (14th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 17016 (1st) 104061 (1st) 0.041 (19th) 0.034 (19th) 0.012 (15th) 0.034 (19th) No. 2 Bend
Snuggled into the foothills of the Cascade Mountains is Bend, the Oregon city with the lowest hate crime index on our list. Known for its wineries, breweries and cideries, Bend also offers an abundance of local opportunities for kayaking and mountain biking.
90out of 100
Public Safety
62out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 4.92798 (3rd) 11.70395 (5th) 213.4431 (4th) 0.102666 (3rd) 0.102666 (3rd) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 14220 (4th) 63468 (6th) 0.048 (17th) 0.076 (15th) 0.017 (10th) 0.259 (7th) No. 3 Milwaukie
Not to be confused with the much larger city in Wisconsin from which it gets its name, the Portland suburb of Milwaukie has been nicknamed ”The Dogwood City of the West.” In fact, the town claimed to have the oldest and largest dogwood tree in the world until it was damaged in 1962. Milwaukie ranks so high on our list of safest cities in Oregon in part thanks to its low unemployment and poverty rates.
82out of 100
Public Safety
67out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 9.581756 (9th) 7.665405 (3th) 148.0381 (2nd) 1.437263 (16th) 1.437263 (16th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 13236 (7th) 63421 (7th) 0.045 (18th) 0.056 (18th) 0.016 (13th) 0.383 (4th) No. 4 Tigard
Tigard, a southwestern suburb of Portland, is home to notable museums such as the John Tigard House Museum and the Real Life Exhibit Portland. In addition to impressive financial safety, Tigard has one of the lowest hate crime indices in the state, allowing it to claim second place on our list of the safest cities in Oregon.
75out of 100
Public Safety
71out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 11.69265 (12th) 9.465479 (4th) 289.1611 (6th) 0.556793 (10th) 0.556793 (10th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 13908 (5th) 75795 (3rd) 0.05 (15th) 0.062 (16th) 0.017 (10th) 0.342 (5th) No. 5 HILLSBORO
California may have Silicon Valley, but Hillsboro has Silicon Forest. The presence of numerous employers in the tech industry may help to explain why Hillsboro has relatively low unemployment and poverty rates. However, this city doesn’t rank higher on our list due to its crime statistics, which show room for improvement.
76out of 100
Public Safety
65out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 10.53876 (11th) 15.76232 (7th) 190.3392 (3rd) 0.458207 (9th) 0.458207 (9th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 16296 (2nd) 78144 (2nd) 0.051 (14th) 0.081 (14th) 0.011 (16th) 0.202 (11th) No. 6 Oregon
Oregon City was the very first city established in the Oregon territory during westward expansion, and it was also the state’s first capital city. Residents in Oregon City enjoy a relatively low cost of living, and most have home internet access.
69out of 100
Public Safety
70out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 7.042635 (5th) 29.25402 (18th) 235.1157 (5th) 1.083482 (13th) 1.083482 (13th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 13884 (6th) 71856 (4th) 0.049 (16th) 0.059 (17th) 0.019 (9th) 0.156 (16th) No. 7 Corvallis
The culture of Corvallis has been significantly influenced by the presence of Oregon State University. With around 26,000 students, nearly half of Corvallis’ population is associated with OSU. Fortunately, Corvallis seems to be a very welcoming place, with the second-lowest hate crime index on our list. However, the cost of living is rather high.
82out of 100
Public Safety
52out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 9.061223 (8th) 7.009625 (2nd) 313.7235 (8th) 0.170966 (4th) 0.170966 (4th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 12240 (9th) 49835 (13th) 0.069 (4th) 0.113 (11th) 0.017 (10th) 0.181 (15th) No. 8 Hermiston
Around 1,200 acres of farmland in Hermiston are devoted to watermelons. Four farms are responsible for most of the watermelon production in Hermiston, but that hasn’t stopped the town from celebrating this crop by integrating it into their logo and motto: ”Where Life Is Sweet.” Hermiston’s residents enjoy a low cost of living and low hate crime index, but with poverty over 18%, there’s room for improvement regarding financial safety.
73out of 100
Public Safety
58out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 5.137866 (4th) 18.83884 (11th) 333.3904 (11th) 0.570874 (11th) 0.570874 (11th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 8844 (17th) 51923 (10th) 0.06 (8th) 0.187 (3rd) 0.036 (4th) 0.224 (9th) No. 9 Baker
During the frontier days, Baker City was a thriving metropolis with a higher population than Boise or Spokane, which are recognized as some of the region’s largest cities today. Nowadays, fewer than 10,000 people live in Baker City, and it has the lowest rates of home internet access on our list.
75out of 100
Public Safety
49out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 7.158196 (6th) 12.27119 (6th) 331.3222 (10th) 2.045199 (17th) 2.045199 (17th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 7884 (18th) 42881 (16th) 0.095 (2nd) 0.137 (8th) 0.036 (4th) 0.294 (6th) No. 10 McMinnville
Located in the heart of Oregon wine country, McMinnville is surrounded by over 220 wineries and has a charming downtown area known as ”Oregon’s Favorite Main Street.” Notably, McMinnville has one of the lowest rates of unemployed residents without insurance on our list.
67out of 100
Public Safety
54out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 8.364822 (7th) 15.86432 (8th) 306.9024 (7th) 0.288442 (6th) 0.288442 (6th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 11148 (12th) 51820 (11th) 0.059 (9th) 0.147 (7th) 0.031 (6th) 0.083 (18th) No. 11 Reedsport
Oregonians know that Reedsport is the place to go to dip your toes in the sand and surf, as the dunes here stretch for about 47 miles. The roughly 4,200 residents of Reedsport — the smallest town on our list — pay the lowest rent of all. However, of all the cities on our list, Reedsport has the highest percentage of uninsured residents (both employed and unemployed), as well as the highest hate crime index.
72out of 100
Public Safety
48out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 2.428953 (1st) 17.00267 (10th) 405.6352 (16th) 2.428953 (19th) 2.428953 (19th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 7368 (19th) 36121 (19th) 0.057 (10th) 0.176 (4th) 0.086 (1st) 0.624 (1st) No. 12 North Bend
Despite its name, North Bend is located nowhere near the city of Bend, nor does it lie to Bend’s north. Instead, North Bend is so named because it is situated along a sharp curve in Coos Bay. North Bend earns its position on our list thanks in part to a low cost of living and low hate crime index, but it’s poverty rate is one factor preventing it from outranking other cities.
56out of 100
Public Safety
59out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 13.39516 (13th) 16.48635 (9th) 421.4323 (18th) 1.030397 (12th) 1.030397 (12th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 9576 (15th) 49935 (12th) 0.057 (10th) 0.116 (10th) 0.041 (2nd) 0.417 (3rd) No. 13 SALEM
Because Salem is the state capital, it’s perhaps no surprise that nearly a third of its residents are government employees. However, with a 12% poverty rate and relatively high crime statistics, Salem is outranked by most of the other cities on our list.
49out of 100
Public Safety
59out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 13.83544 (14th) 27.96154 (16th) 416.8072 (17th) 0.29066 (7th) 0.29066 (7th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 11064 (13th) 53619 (8th) 0.063 (6th) 0.12 (9th) 0.01 (17th) 0.259 (7th) No. 14 EUGENE
Interestingly, the city of Eugene passed a local law permitting women to vote a full 20 years before the 19th amendment was passed nationwide. However, the town also has an unfortunate history of racial inequality, and our data indicates that hate crimes remain a problem in Eugene today.
52out of 100
Public Safety
51out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 17.15748 (18th) 21.54933 (13th) 322.2444 (9th) 2.28376 (18th) 2.28376 (18th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 11856 (10th) 49029 (14th) 0.07 (3rd) 0.109 (12th) 0.009 (18th) 0.199 (13th) No. 15 Grants Pass
When people in Oregon want to go whitewater rafting, they head to the Rogue River in Grants Pass, located in the southwest corner of the state. Although hate crimes are uncommon here, residents experience a high cost of living and a poverty rate of nearly 15%.
56out of 100
Public Safety
45out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 15.60269 (15th) 20.09838 (12th) 354.895 (14th) 0.264452 (5th) 0.264452 (5th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 10632 (14th) 42142 (17th) 0.061 (7th) 0.149 (6th) 0.025 (7th) 0.214 (10th) No. 16 PORTLAND
Portland is known as being a quirky haven for ”hipster” culture, but some very serious financial institutions and manufacturing businesses employ its residents and drive its economy. Portland boasts the highest population on our list and the lowest percentage of uninsured employed residents.
41out of 100
Public Safety
61out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 23.1111 (19th) 28.89268 (17th) 545.9635 (19th) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 14244 (3rd) 65740 (5th) 0.054 (13th) 0.101 (13th) 0.004 (19th) 0.187 (14th) No. 17 GRESHAM
Gresham is one of Portland’s suburban areas that strongly support their small businesses. The city has a small business center to help launch and assist local entrepreneurs with their ventures. Gresham also offers small businesses a Garage to Storefront program that waives city fees for new local businesses.
53out of 100
Public Safety
45out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 16.27951 (17th) 25.93987 (14th) 341.9591 (13th) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 13140 (8th) 52303 (9th) 0.069 (4th) 0.167 (5th) 0.014 (14th) 0.201 (12th) No. 18 Klamath Falls
Klamath Falls major claim to fame is the high number of bald eagles that can be viewed nearby. Despite welcoming new employers to the area in recent years, Klamath Falls has the highest unemployment and poverty rates on our list. However, most of the population has insurance.
43out of 100
Public Safety
40out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 10.3408 (10th) 30.57279 (19th) 334.5023 (12th) 1.3488 (15th) 1.3488 (15th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 8940 (16th) 39738 (18th) 0.103 (1st) 0.206 (1st) 0.021 (8th) 0.153 (17th) No. 19 Woodburn
You might not expect Oregon to be a center of Latino culture, but that’s exactly what you’ll find in bicultural, bilingual Woodburn. The area also has a dollop of Dutch influence, on full display at the beautiful Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. Notably, Woodburn has the highest cost of living of all the Oregon cities on our list, which might be why it also has the second-highest poverty rate.
38out of 100
Public Safety
40out of 100
Financial Safety
Public Safety
Total Violent Crime Society Crimes Property Crime Hate Crime Officer Incident Mass Shootings 16.13461 (16th) 26.50686 (15th) 369.5594 (15th) 0.384157 (8th) 0.384157 (8th) 0 (1st) Financial Safety
Annual Rent Household Income Unemployment Rate Poverty Uninsured Employed Uninsured Unemployed 11712 (11th) 46690 (15th) 0.056 (12th) 0.198 (2nd) 0.041 (2nd) 0.473 (2nd)
Oregon State Safety
Natural Disaster Safety
The risk of natural disaster in Oregon is surprisingly high. According to the Insurance Journal, Oregon ranks 11th in the U.S. Hazards in Oregon include flooding, landslides, wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanos, winter storms, windstorms, dust storms and droughts. In recent years, wildfires have become more of a problem, which can create hazardous conditions in the mountain regions, destroy public property and homes and have a major impact on air quality. Coastal hazards include acute dangers such as tsunamis and ongoing shifts due to erosion and climate change.
11out of 50
Natural Disaster
Health Safety
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the biggest killers in Oregon are cancer, heart disease and chronic lower respiratory diseases. Oregon ranks 10th in drug-related deaths, meaning 40 states have more drug-related incidents than Oregon. The state ranks 25th in access to primary care doctors, with 147 doctors per 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, Oregon is second when it comes to mental health providers, with a whopping 522 mental health professionals per 100,000 residents in the state. Oregonians are one of the most active population groups, ranking 5th in the country with only 19.3% of residents reporting a sedentary lifestyle. The state ranks 32nd when it comes to air quality, placing it in the bottom half of the country in terms of healthy air.
21out of 50
Health Safety
Top 19 Safest Cities in Oregon
| West Linn | 26,934 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bend | 97,403 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Milwaukie | 20,873 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Tigard | 53,880 | 7 | 2 | 4 |
| HILLSBORO | 109,121 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Oregon | 36,918 | 10 | 3 | 6 |
| Corvallis | 58,491 | 3 | 12 | 7 |
| Hermiston | 17,517 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Baker | 9,779 | 6 | 14 | 9 |
| McMinnville | 34,669 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| Reedsport | 4,117 | 9 | 15 | 11 |
| North Bend | 9,705 | 12 | 8 | 12 |
| SALEM | 172,022 | 16 | 9 | 13 |
| EUGENE | 170,771 | 15 | 13 | 14 |
| Grants Pass | 37,814 | 13 | 16 | 15 |
| PORTLAND | 657,260 | 18 | 7 | 16 |
| GRESHAM | 111,797 | 14 | 17 | 17 |
| Klamath Falls | 22,242 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
| Woodburn | 26,031 | 19 | 19 | 19 |