Best PlacesSouthwest Bend, Bend, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Southwest Bend, Bend, 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.
Southwest Bend, Bend ranks 1,171st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Southwest Bend, Bend
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.
Southwest Bend, Bend's strengths and weaknesses
Where Southwest Bend, Bend ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
Where Southwest Bend, Bend ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 23% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Southwest Bend, Bend
A household needs to earn about $167,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Southwest Bend, Bend home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $89,791, 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 Southwest Bend, Bend's effective rate of 0.57%, 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 Southwest Bend, Bend
Southwest Bend, Bend'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 Southwest Bend, Bend.
Who works in Southwest Bend, Bend, and how
Work in Southwest Bend, Bend centers on health care & social and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 68%
- Work from home 28%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Southwest Bend, Bend
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Southwest Bend, Bend.
What the weather is like in Southwest Bend, Bend, month by month
Southwest Bend, Bend sees roughly 170 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 34° | 27° |
| April | 62° | 47° | 35° |
| July | 90° | 72° | 54° |
| October | 66° | 50° | 38° |
Flying in and out of Southwest Bend, Bend
The nearest airport, Roberts Field, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Portland International, about 125 miles away.
The best schools in and around Southwest Bend, Bend
Schools across Southwest Bend, Bend average an A−, better than 83% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- William E Miller ElementaryA · 65% proficient
- Pine Ridge ElementaryA · 65% proficient
- Elk Meadow Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Realms Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
Top high schools
- Bend Senior High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Southwest Bend, Bend school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Southwest Bend, Bend 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 Southwest Bend, Bend against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Southwest Bend, Bend
Is Southwest Bend, Bend a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Southwest Bend, Bend ranks 1,171st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on civic engagement, low disaster risk, and low crime, and lowest on distance from a big city and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Southwest Bend, Bend expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $660,654. The overall cost of living runs about 4% above the national average. Set against a $89,791 median income, cost of living beats 60% of neighborhoods.
Is Southwest Bend, Bend safe?
Yes, Southwest Bend, Bend is safer than 94% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $282 per resident a year.
Compare Southwest Bend, Bend with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Southwest Bend, Bend. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Southwest Bend, Bend 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.
Southwest Bend, Bend detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Southwest Bend, Bend: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Southwest Bend, Bend: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Southwest Bend, Bend: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Southwest Bend, Bend: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Southwest Bend, Bend 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.