Best Places97503, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97503, 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.
97503 ranks 15,559th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and thin health care access ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 97503
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.
97503's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97503 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 87% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 97503 ranks low
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97503
A household needs to earn about $95,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97503 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $81,965, 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 97503's effective rate of 0.69%, 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 97503
97503's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 97503.
Who works in 97503, and how
Work in 97503 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 97503
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 97503.
What the weather is like in 97503, month by month
97503 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 97503
The nearest airport, Rogue Valley International/Medford, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 217 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97503
Schools across 97503 average a C+, better than 65% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Kennedy Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Sams Valley Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hedrick Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Scenic Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Eagle Point High SchoolA+ · 95% proficient
- South Medford High SchoolB+ · 56% proficient
- Crater Renaissance AcademyB− · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97503 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97503 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 97503 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 97503
Is 97503 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97503 ranks 15,559th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, few empty homes, and transit, and lowest on thin health care access and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97503 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $370,108. The overall cost of living runs about 0% above the national average. Set against a $81,965 median income, cost of living beats 40% of zip codes.
Is 97503 safe?
97503 is safer than 22% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $641 per resident a year.
Compare 97503 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97503. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97503 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.
97503 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97503: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97503: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97503: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97503: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97503 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.