Best PlacesRogue River, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Rogue River, 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.
Rogue River ranks 34,146th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Rogue River
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.
Rogue River's strengths and weaknesses
Where Rogue River ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 97% of towns
- TransitBetter than 92% of towns
- WalkabilityBetter than 86% of towns
- BikingBetter than 82% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 124 pleasant days a year, better than 82% of towns
Where Rogue River ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 11% of towns
- Cheap childcare$1,112 a month, better than only 16% of towns
- School gradeD+, better than only 16% of towns
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 19% of towns
- Short commute33.1 minutes each way, better than only 20% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Rogue River
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Rogue River home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $66,060, 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 Rogue River's effective rate of 0.60%, 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 Rogue River
Rogue River 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 Rogue River.
Who works in Rogue River, and how
Work in Rogue River centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Rogue River
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Rogue River.
What the weather is like in Rogue River, month by month
Rogue River sees roughly 124 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 80 degrees. January highs sit near 44, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 37° | 32° |
| April | 56° | 44° | 36° |
| July | 80° | 65° | 54° |
| October | 61° | 51° | 44° |
Flying in and out of Rogue River
The nearest airport, Rogue Valley International/Medford, is about 16 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 219 miles away.
The best schools in and around Rogue River
Schools across Rogue River average a D+, better than 16% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Fruitdale Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Rogue River Elementary SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Applegate Elementary SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lincoln Savage Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Scenic Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Hanby Middle SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Crater Renaissance AcademyB− · 45% proficient
- Hidden Valley High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Rogue River Junior/senior HighD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Rogue River school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Rogue River 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 Rogue River against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Rogue River
Is Rogue River a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Rogue River ranks 34,146th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on state infrastructure, transit, and walkability, and lowest on an overheated housing market and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Rogue River expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $385,959. The overall cost of living runs about 3% above the national average. Set against a $66,060 median income, cost of living beats 21% of towns.
Is Rogue River safe?
Yes, Rogue River is safer than 57% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $365 per resident a year.
Compare Rogue River with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Rogue River. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Rogue River 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.
Rogue River detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Rogue River: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Rogue River: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Rogue River: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Rogue River: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Rogue River 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.