Best PlacesMetolius, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Metolius, 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.
Metolius ranks 27,269th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Metolius
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.
Metolius' strengths and weaknesses
Where Metolius ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 97% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 166 pleasant days a year, better than 96% of towns
- Cell coverageBetter than 89% of towns
- TransitBetter than 89% of towns
- Local economyBetter than 85% of towns
Where Metolius ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 10% of towns
- Tree shadeBetter than only 10% of towns
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 10% of towns
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 16% of towns
- School gradeC−, better than only 21% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Metolius
A household needs to earn about $73,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Metolius home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $66,042; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Metolius' effective rate of 0.64%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Metolius
Metolius's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Metolius.
Who works in Metolius, and how
Work in Metolius centers on agriculture & forestry and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Metolius
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Metolius.
What the weather is like in Metolius, month by month
Metolius sees roughly 166 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 34° | 23° |
| April | 64° | 47° | 29° |
| July | 92° | 72° | 48° |
| October | 68° | 49° | 32° |
Flying in and out of Metolius
The nearest airport, Roberts Field, is about 23 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 98 miles away.
The best schools in and around Metolius
Schools across Metolius average a C−, better than 21% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Buff Elementary SchoolC · 30% proficient
- Culver Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Metolius Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Culver Middle SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Jefferson County Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Culver High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Madras High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Metolius school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Metolius 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 Metolius against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Metolius
Is Metolius a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Metolius ranks 27,269th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on state infrastructure, the weather, and cell coverage, and lowest on air quality and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Metolius expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $287,122. The overall cost of living runs about 4% below the national average. Set against a $66,042 median income, cost of living beats 24% of towns.
Is Metolius safe?
Metolius is safer than 51% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $377 per resident a year.
Compare Metolius with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Metolius. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Metolius 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.
Metolius detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Metolius: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Metolius: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Metolius: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Metolius: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Metolius 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.