Best PlacesSmithfield, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Smithfield, 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.
Smithfield ranks 14,625th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Smithfield
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.
Smithfield's strengths and weaknesses
Where Smithfield ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of towns
- State infrastructureBetter than 97% of towns
- Air qualityBetter than 85% of towns
- Short commute21.9 minutes each way, better than 80% of towns
- Big-city accessBetter than 80% of towns
Where Smithfield ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 10% of towns
- WalkabilityBetter than only 19% of towns
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 24% of towns
- Cheap childcare$1,012 a month, better than only 24% of towns
- Heat safetyBetter than only 31% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Smithfield
A household needs to earn about $164,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Smithfield home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $92,563, 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 Smithfield's effective rate of 0.64%, 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 Smithfield
Smithfield's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Smithfield.
Who works in Smithfield, and how
Work in Smithfield centers on education and construction. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Smithfield
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Smithfield.
What the weather is like in Smithfield, month by month
Smithfield sees roughly 104 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 42° | 35° |
| April | 65° | 52° | 40° |
| July | 88° | 71° | 55° |
| October | 68° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of Smithfield
The nearest airport, McNary Field, is about 16 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 54 miles away.
The best schools in and around Smithfield
Schools across Smithfield average a B−, better than 59% of towns.
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Smithfield school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Smithfield 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 Smithfield against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Smithfield
Is Smithfield a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Smithfield ranks 14,625th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on few empty homes, state infrastructure, and clean air, and lowest on a weak job market and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Smithfield expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $642,200. The overall cost of living runs about 1% above the national average. Set against a $92,563 median income, cost of living beats 63% of towns.
Is Smithfield safe?
Yes, Smithfield is safer than 67% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $311 per resident a year.
Compare Smithfield with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Smithfield. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Smithfield 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.
Smithfield detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Smithfield: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Smithfield: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Smithfield: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Smithfield: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Smithfield 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.