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These Are The 10 Most Successful Cities In Oregon

By Chris Kolmar
Jun. 27, 2016

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What is success? Is it the amount of money you have in your bank account, at any given point? Is it that feeling you get after delivering a killer presentation, or even a pretty decent bar joke?

Or is it something bigger–something wholly unnamable, undefinable, immeasurable, and totally subjective?

Probably so.

But here at Zippia, we like things that we can neatly measure and then expound upon. So yes, with the Power of Math, we have determined the unarguable, totally objective 10 most successful cities in Oregon. And here they are:

  1. Happy Valley
  2. Sherwood
  3. West Linn
  4. Lake Oswego
  5. Damascus
  6. Sandy
  7. Tigard
  8. Hillsboro
  9. Wilsonville
  10. Tualatin

If you are trying to argue already with our unarguable list, keep reading. There’s a method to this madness.

For more OR reading, check out:

How We Determined The Most Successful Cities In Oregon

The first thing that comes to most capitalist minds in terms of success is–money. After all, rich people must be successful, right?

Meh. Maybe. But we think there’s a bit more that goes into it than that. So we looked at this set of criteria from the 2010-2014 American Community Survey:

1. Happy Valley

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 15,693Median Income: $100,438
Poverty Level: 4.0%
Unemployment Rate: 7.5%

2. Sherwood

Population: 18,687Median Income: $84,360
Poverty Level: 6.2%
Unemployment Rate: 7.5%

3. West Linn

Population: 25,710Median Income: $83,933
Poverty Level: 5.7%
Unemployment Rate: 8.1%

4. Lake Oswego

Population: 37,310Median Income: $84,244
Poverty Level: 7.3%
Unemployment Rate: 9.1%

5. Damascus

Population: 10,711Median Income: $85,708
Poverty Level: 8.4%
Unemployment Rate: 8.9%

6. Sandy

Population: 9,945Median Income: $56,476
Poverty Level: 8.4%
Unemployment Rate: 8.5%

7. Tigard

Population: 49,633Median Income: $60,849
Poverty Level: 10.5%
Unemployment Rate: 8.3%

8. Hillsboro

Population: 95,765Median Income: $66,668
Poverty Level: 12.4%
Unemployment Rate: 8.4%

9. Wilsonville

Population: 20,335Median Income: $58,757
Poverty Level: 9.8%
Unemployment Rate: 8.9%

10. Tualatin

Population: 26,604Median Income: $65,903
Poverty Level: 10.5%
Unemployment Rate: 9.6%

Measuring Success

If you’re still looking at this post thinking, “Surely, such superficial methods can’t possibly measure a city, or rather, the individuals that make up that city’s success!” well, you’re probably right.

But we like to measure things, and when it comes to success, we feel pretty successful in our approach. Congrats to Happy Valley and our winners. And for those who didn’t make the cut, well, better luck next year.

Detailed List Of The Most Successful Cities In Oregon

Rank City Median Income Poverty Rate Unemployment Rate
1 Happy Valley $100,438 4.0% 7.5%
2 Sherwood $84,360 6.2% 7.5%
3 West Linn $83,933 5.7% 8.1%
4 Lake Oswego $84,244 7.3% 9.1%
5 Damascus $85,708 8.4% 8.9%
6 Sandy $56,476 8.4% 8.5%
7 Tigard $60,849 10.5% 8.3%
8 Hillsboro $66,668 12.4% 8.4%
9 Wilsonville $58,757 9.8% 8.9%
10 Tualatin $65,903 10.5% 9.6%
11 Molalla $52,193 8.1% 9.8%
12 Hood River $49,350 15.5% 4.2%
13 Fairview $53,381 17.2% 5.4%
14 Beaverton $57,068 13.3% 9.2%
15 Oregon City $59,429 12.5% 9.8%
16 Bend $52,471 13.5% 8.3%
17 Canby $58,653 10.8% 10.3%
18 Creswell $49,867 7.2% 10.3%
19 Newberg $54,856 19.0% 7.9%
20 Scappoose $62,244 12.4% 12.1%
21 Gladstone $54,494 13.5% 9.9%
22 Keizer $50,897 14.2% 9.5%
23 Milwaukie $55,827 13.6% 10.2%
24 Central Point $46,765 12.0% 10.1%
25 Hermiston $46,655 17.4% 8.1%
26 Eagle Point $56,597 13.5% 12.1%
27 Portland $53,230 18.0% 9.4%
28 Warrenton $38,693 15.1% 5.5%
29 Pendleton $45,930 14.4% 9.7%
30 The Dalles $41,561 14.7% 8.3%
31 Silverton $53,929 14.9% 11.3%
32 Newport $40,448 17.9% 7.1%
33 Brookings $41,704 11.4% 10.2%
34 Troutdale $58,790 15.8% 12.8%
35 Astoria $45,104 21.7% 7.8%
36 Forest Grove $48,365 15.1% 10.9%
37 Cornelius $55,203 12.5% 16.3%
38 Ashland $43,500 21.2% 9.5%
39 Talent $32,168 20.9% 7.0%
40 Gresham $47,706 20.0% 12.1%
41 Dallas $50,170 17.1% 14.4%
42 North Bend $43,097 15.5% 12.5%
43 Salem $46,273 18.0% 12.9%
44 St. Helens $47,421 16.6% 15.1%
45 Lebanon $40,791 20.6% 10.0%
46 Albany $45,478 19.8% 12.5%
47 Umatilla $44,038 20.4% 12.5%
48 Seaside $41,037 18.3% 12.2%
49 Baker City $35,963 17.5% 10.8%
50 Florence $32,459 18.5% 9.8%
51 Eugene $42,715 28.5% 10.0%
52 Corvallis $40,425 36.0% 8.7%
53 McMinnville $44,451 23.7% 12.1%
54 La Grande $36,536 26.7% 9.4%
55 Junction City $40,625 17.4% 14.6%
56 Medford $42,366 22.5% 12.2%
57 Stayton $41,432 19.9% 15.1%
58 Sutherlin $37,764 21.9% 11.8%
59 Woodburn $43,144 24.1% 13.6%
60 Sheridan $40,729 17.4% 21.5%
61 Coos Bay $36,360 23.0% 11.1%
62 Springfield $39,355 22.1% 12.9%
63 Lincoln City $35,524 24.4% 10.4%
64 Cottage Grove $35,717 22.0% 12.8%
65 Sweet Home $36,387 21.0% 14.7%
66 Roseburg $39,081 22.4% 14.2%
67 Madras $40,631 25.9% 14.0%
68 Monmouth $35,750 36.3% 10.9%
69 Grants Pass $33,240 22.4% 13.3%
70 Redmond $39,008 23.0% 19.5%
71 Independence $40,904 32.6% 18.8%
72 Klamath Falls $33,604 26.0% 16.2%
73 Prineville $29,249 27.8% 15.0%
74 Winston $30,843 27.8% 15.1%
75 Milton-Freewater $33,082 29.7% 17.0%
76 Ontario $26,512 31.3% 15.1%
Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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