Best Places97868, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 97868, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
97868 ranks 15,595th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 97868
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.
97868's strengths and weaknesses
Where 97868 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 99% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Household income$97,638 median, better than 78% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 122 pleasant days a year, better than 77% of zip codes
Where 97868 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 97868
A household needs to earn about $61,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 97868 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $97,638, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 97868's effective rate of 0.62%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 97868
97868 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 97868.
Who works in 97868, and how
Work in 97868 centers on public administration and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 97868
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 97868.
What the weather is like in 97868, month by month
97868 sees roughly 122 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 35° | 27° |
| April | 65° | 51° | 37° |
| July | 94° | 76° | 57° |
| October | 67° | 52° | 40° |
Flying in and out of 97868
The nearest airport, Eastern Oregon Regional at Pendleton, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 183 miles away.
The best schools in and around 97868
Schools across 97868 average a D+, better than 16% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Heppner Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Central Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Pilot Rock Elementary SchoolD+ · 22% proficient
Top middle schools
- La Grande Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Sunridge Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Pendleton High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- La Grande High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Heppner Junior/senior High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 97868 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
97868 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 97868 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 97868
Is 97868 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 97868 ranks 15,595th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, state infrastructure, and high incomes, and lowest on civic engagement and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 97868 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $240,454. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $97,638 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 97868 safe?
97868 is safer than 54% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $377 per resident a year.
Compare 97868 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 97868. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 97868 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.
97868 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 97868: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 97868: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 97868: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 97868: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
97868 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.