Best Places97401, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97401, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
97401 ranks 14,826th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on biking by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 97401
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.
97401's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97401 ranks high
- BikingBetter than 99% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Short commute16.0 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 94% of zip codes
Where 97401 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,397 a month, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97401
A household needs to earn about $139,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97401 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $64,523, 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 97401's effective rate of 0.95%, 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 97401
97401 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 97401.
Who works in 97401, and how
Work in 97401 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 64%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 18%
Life in 97401
97401 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 88% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 92% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 97401 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 97401, month by month
97401 sees roughly 88 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° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 88° | 70° | 51° |
| October | 68° | 54° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 97401
The nearest airport, Mahlon Sweet Field, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 108 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97401
Schools across 97401 average a B, better than 68% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Yujin Gakuen Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Buena Vista Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Holt Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Roosevelt Middle SchoolA+ · 68% proficient
- Cal Young Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Monroe Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- South Eugene High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
- Churchill High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
- Sheldon High SchoolB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97401 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97401 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 97401 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 97401 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 18% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 97401
Is 97401 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97401 ranks 14,826th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on biking, state infrastructure, and short commutes, and lowest on noise and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97401 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $523,201. The overall cost of living runs about 0% above the national average. Set against a $64,523 median income, cost of living beats 21% of zip codes.
Is 97401 safe?
97401 is safer than 23% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $619 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 97401?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 51 with lows near 35. That works out to about 88 pleasant days a year, more than 54% of zip codes.
Is 97401 good for families?
Schools beat 68% of zip codes, crime safety beats 23%, and childcare runs $1,397 a month.
Compare 97401 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97401. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97401 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.
97401 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97401: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97401: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97401: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97401: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97401 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.