Best Places97128, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97128, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
97128 ranks 9,869th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 97128
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
97128's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97128 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 89% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 89% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 97128 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,249 a month, better than only 19% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 32% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97128
A household needs to earn about $121,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97128 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $80,498, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 97128's effective rate of 0.77%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 97128
97128's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 97128.
Who works in 97128, and how
Work in 97128 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 97128
97128 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 79% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 82% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 97128 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 97128, month by month
97128 sees roughly 95 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 50, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 42° | 35° |
| April | 64° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 87° | 69° | 52° |
| October | 67° | 54° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 97128
The nearest airport, McNary Field, is about 23 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 40 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97128
Schools across 97128 average a B−, better than 59% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Yamhill Carlton Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Yamhill Carlton Intermediate SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Yamhill Carlton High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97128 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97128 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 97128 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 97128 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 12% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 97128
Is 97128 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97128 ranks 9,869th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, fast internet, and clean air, and lowest on disaster risk and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97128 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $466,116. The overall cost of living runs about 5% above the national average. Set against a $80,498 median income, cost of living beats 36% of zip codes.
Is 97128 safe?
Yes, 97128 is safer than 73% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $334 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 97128?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 50 with lows near 35. That works out to about 95 pleasant days a year, more than 60% of zip codes.
Is 97128 good for families?
Schools beat 59% of zip codes, crime safety beats 73%, and childcare runs $1,249 a month.
Compare 97128 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97128. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97128 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
97128 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97128: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97128: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97128: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97128: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97128 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.