Best Places97530, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97530, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
97530 ranks 10,581st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 97530
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.
97530's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97530 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Household income$102,113 median, better than 81% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 97530 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,112 a month, better than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97530
A household needs to earn about $165,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97530 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $102,113, 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 97530's effective rate of 0.59%, 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 97530
97530 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 97530.
Who works in 97530, and how
Work in 97530 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 97530
97530 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 86% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 97530 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 97530, month by month
97530 sees roughly 117 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 97530
The nearest airport, Rogue Valley International/Medford, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 230 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97530
Schools across 97530 average a C+, better than 42% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Williams Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Jacksonville Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Ruch Outdoor Community SchoolC · 31% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lincoln Savage Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Mcloughlin Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
- Talent Middle SchoolD− · 18% proficient
Top high schools
- South Medford High SchoolB+ · 56% proficient
- Phoenix High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Hidden Valley High SchoolC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97530 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97530 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 97530 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 97530
Is 97530 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97530 ranks 10,581st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, civic engagement, and an educated workforce, and lowest on a weak job market and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97530 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $648,979. The overall cost of living runs about 6% above the national average. Set against a $102,113 median income, cost of living beats 74% of zip codes.
Is 97530 safe?
Yes, 97530 is safer than 56% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $383 per resident a year.
Compare 97530 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97530. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97530 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.
97530 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97530: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97530: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97530: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97530: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97530 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.