Best Places97522, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97522, 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.
97522 ranks 23,167th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 97522
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.
97522's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97522 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 86% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 82% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 97522 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Short commute34.5 minutes each way, better than only 12% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97522
A household needs to earn about $95,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97522 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $71,097, 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 97522's effective rate of 0.46%, 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 97522
97522 runs older 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 97522.
Who works in 97522, and how
Work in 97522 centers on agriculture & forestry and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 97522
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 97522.
What the weather is like in 97522, month by month
97522 sees roughly 118 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 97522
The nearest airport, Rogue Valley International/Medford, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 210 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97522
Schools across 97522 average a B−, better than 71% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Henley Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Henley Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Eagle Point High SchoolA+ · 95% proficient
- Chiloquin High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97522 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97522 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 97522 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 97522
Is 97522 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97522 ranks 23,167th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, few empty homes, and low property taxes, and lowest on disaster risk and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97522 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $379,110. The overall cost of living runs about 0% below the national average. Set against a $71,097 median income, cost of living beats 32% of zip codes.
Is 97522 safe?
97522 is safer than 11% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $738 per resident a year.
Compare 97522 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97522. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97522 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.
97522 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97522: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97522: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97522: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97522: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97522 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.