Best Places97437, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97437, 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.
97437 ranks 20,355th 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 97437
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.
97437's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97437 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 72% of zip codes
Where 97437 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,397 a month, better than only 10% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 25% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97437
A household needs to earn about $124,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97437 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $78,548, 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 97437's effective rate of 0.63%, 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 97437
97437 runs older than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 97437.
Who works in 97437, and how
Work in 97437 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 97437
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 97437.
What the weather is like in 97437, month by month
97437 sees roughly 87 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 97437
The nearest airport, Mahlon Sweet Field, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 110 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97437
Schools across 97437 average a C, better than 28% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Territorial Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Elmira Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Oaklea Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Fern Ridge Middle SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Junction City High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Elmira High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97437 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97437 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 97437 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 97437
Is 97437 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97437 ranks 20,355th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, civic engagement, and clean air, and lowest on childcare costs and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97437 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $487,589. The overall cost of living runs about 4% above the national average. Set against a $78,548 median income, cost of living beats 33% of zip codes.
Is 97437 safe?
97437 is safer than 53% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $382 per resident a year.
Compare 97437 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97437. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97437 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.
97437 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97437: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97437: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97437: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97437: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97437 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.