Best Places97404, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97404, 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.
97404 ranks 10,740th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 97404
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.
97404's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97404 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 94% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Short commute20.2 minutes each way, better than 84% of zip codes
Where 97404 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,397 a month, better than only 10% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97404
A household needs to earn about $109,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97404 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $88,225, 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 97404's effective rate of 0.80%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 97404
97404 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 97404.
Who works in 97404, and how
Work in 97404 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 97404
97404 has more parkland per resident than 77% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 97404 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 97404, month by month
97404 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 97404
The nearest airport, Mahlon Sweet Field, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 106 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97404
Schools across 97404 average a B, better than 67% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Yujin Gakuen Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Spring Creek Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Laurel Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cal Young Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Kelly Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Oaklea Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Willamette High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Sheldon High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Junction City High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97404 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97404 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 97404 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 97404 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 97404
Is 97404 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97404 ranks 10,740th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, biking, and transit, and lowest on childcare costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97404 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $418,002. The overall cost of living runs about 0% below the national average. Set against a $88,225 median income, cost of living beats 58% of zip codes.
Is 97404 safe?
97404 is safer than 46% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $441 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 97404?
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 97404 good for families?
Schools beat 67% of zip codes, crime safety beats 46%, and childcare runs $1,397 a month.
Compare 97404 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97404. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97404 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.
97404 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97404: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97404: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97404: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97404: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97404 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.