Best Places97502, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97502, 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.
97502 ranks 11,830th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 97502
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.
97502's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97502 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Short commute16.3 minutes each way, better than 95% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 84% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 97502 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,112 a month, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97502
A household needs to earn about $105,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97502 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $90,679, 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 97502's effective rate of 0.79%, 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 97502
97502 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 97502.
Who works in 97502, and how
Work in 97502 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 83%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 97502
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 97502.
What the weather is like in 97502, month by month
97502 sees roughly 115 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 41° | 32° |
| April | 70° | 54° | 40° |
| July | 96° | 77° | 59° |
| October | 73° | 56° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 97502
The nearest airport, Rogue Valley International/Medford, is about 3 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 222 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97502
Schools across 97502 average a C−, better than 28% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Abraham Lincoln ElementaryB− · 42% proficient
- Jacksonville Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Ruch Outdoor Community SchoolC · 31% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hedrick Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Scenic Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Hanby Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Eagle Point High SchoolA+ · 95% proficient
- Crater School Of Business Innovation And ScienceA− · 60% proficient
- South Medford High SchoolB+ · 56% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97502 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97502 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 97502 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 97502 suits
Families
Schools land around the 28th percentile and crime safety beats 63%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 13% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 97502
Is 97502 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97502 ranks 11,830th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, short commutes, and few empty homes, and lowest on noise and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97502 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $402,223. The overall cost of living runs about 0% above the national average. Set against a $90,679 median income, cost of living beats 62% of zip codes.
Is 97502 safe?
Yes, 97502 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $392 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 97502?
July highs average about 96 degrees, and January highs near 52 with lows near 32. That works out to about 115 pleasant days a year, more than 72% of zip codes.
Is 97502 good for families?
Schools beat 28% of zip codes, crime safety beats 63%, and childcare runs $1,112 a month.
Compare 97502 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97502. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97502 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.
97502 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97502: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97502: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97502: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97502: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97502 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.