These Are The 10 Most Successful Cities In Oregon

Top 10 Most Successful Cities in Oregon for 2026

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What defines success in today’s world? Is it merely the balance in your bank account, an impactful presentation, or perhaps a well-timed joke? Or is success something more profound, subjective, and elusive?

At Zippia, we appreciate metrics that allow us to analyze and present insights. Using analytical methods, we’ve compiled a definitive list of the 10 most successful cities in Oregon for 2026. Here they are:

If you find yourself questioning our rankings, read on. There’s a rationale behind our methodology.

For more insights about Oregon, check out:

How We Determined the Most Successful Cities in Oregon

Success is often associated with financial wealth, but we believe it encompasses much more. To identify the most successful cities, we utilized a range of criteria based on the most recent American Community Survey data.

1. Happy Valley

Source: Wikipedia

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

2. Sherwood

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

3. West Linn

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

4. Lake Oswego

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

5. Damascus

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

6. Sandy

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

7. Tigard

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

8. Hillsboro

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

9. Wilsonville

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

10. Tualatin

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

Measuring Success

If you’re questioning whether such metrics can accurately capture a city’s essence or the success of its residents, you’re not alone in that thought.

However, we believe our approach effectively reflects success metrics in these communities. Congratulations to Happy Valley and our top cities! For those that didn’t make the list, there’s always 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%

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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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