Best Places97304, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97304, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
97304 ranks 3,467th 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 97304
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.
97304's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97304 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 88% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 97304 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,014 a month, better than only 32% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 33% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97304
A household needs to earn about $136,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97304 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $106,062, 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 97304's effective rate of 0.89%, 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 97304
97304'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 97304.
Who works in 97304, and how
Work in 97304 centers on health care & social and public administration. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 71%
- Work from home 25%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 97304
97304 has more parkland per resident than 85% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 97304 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 97304, month by month
97304 sees roughly 105 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 42° | 35° |
| April | 65° | 52° | 40° |
| July | 88° | 71° | 55° |
| October | 68° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 97304
The nearest airport, McNary Field, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 49 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97304
Schools across 97304 average a B, better than 69% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Gervais Elementary SchoolD− · 11% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gervais Middle SchoolF · 12% proficient
Top high schools
- Central High SchoolA+ · 98% proficient
- Gervais High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97304 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97304 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 97304 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 97304 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 86% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 25% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 97304
Is 97304 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97304 ranks 3,467th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, biking, and transit, and lowest on disaster risk and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97304 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $513,451. The overall cost of living runs about 6% below the national average. Set against a $106,062 median income, cost of living beats 86% of zip codes.
Is 97304 safe?
Yes, 97304 is safer than 85% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $280 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 97304?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 51 with lows near 35. That works out to about 105 pleasant days a year, more than 67% of zip codes.
Is 97304 good for families?
Schools beat 69% of zip codes, crime safety beats 85%, and childcare runs $1,014 a month.
Compare 97304 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97304. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97304 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.
97304 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97304: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97304: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97304: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97304: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97304 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.