Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is Oregon a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in Oregon.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Beaver State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Oregon, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 36 counties in the state.
Clackamas County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Oregon. And you should avoid Klamath County if you can — at least according to the data.
$103,517 median income · 4.4% unemployment
$107,772 median income · 4.5% unemployment
$92,758 median income · 4.4% unemployment
$67,112 median income · 3.8% unemployment
$87,458 median income · 4.1% unemployment
$85,118 median income · 5.7% unemployment
$90,063 median income · 4.8% unemployment
$69,105 median income · 4.5% unemployment
$88,766 median income · 5.7% unemployment
$71,822 median income · 4.7% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Oregon’s statewide median.
Oregon statewide median: $83,011
Oregon statewide median: $499,004
Oregon statewide median: 5.4%
On the map
Where Oregon’s best counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Oregon county is the best?
To give you the best county in Oregon, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Oregon across each of the criteria from one to 36, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Oregon.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Beaver State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best counties to live in Oregon.
Read on to see why Clackamas County is the best county, while Klamath County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Oregon.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Oregon
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clackamas County | 423,975 | $103,517 | $615,069 |
| 2 | Washington County | 603,947 | $107,772 | $567,308 |
| 2 | Deschutes County | 206,334 | $92,758 | $667,868 |
| 4 | Wallowa County | 7,553 | $67,112 | $433,286 |
| 5 | Columbia County | 53,493 | $87,458 | $450,364 |
| 6 | Polk County | 89,662 | $85,118 | $478,643 |
| 7 | Yamhill County | 108,734 | $90,063 | $505,781 |
| 8 | Tillamook County | 27,496 | $69,105 | $503,130 |
| 9 | Multnomah County | 801,477 | $88,766 | $506,896 |
| 10 | Clatsop County | 41,363 | $71,822 | $509,201 |
| 11 | Hood River County | 23,905 | $88,947 | $687,018 |
| 12 | Benton County | 96,303 | $77,702 | $553,569 |
| 13 | Wheeler County | 1,485 | $55,284 | $316,458 |
| 14 | Jackson County | 222,645 | $73,999 | $434,491 |
| 15 | Crook County | 26,277 | $81,965 | $469,791 |
| 17 | Lane County | 384,207 | $71,544 | $452,759 |
| 17 | Curry County | 23,381 | $62,244 | $449,919 |
| 17 | Linn County | 130,706 | $76,329 | $409,099 |
| 19 | Sherman County | 1,938 | $60,161 | $282,612 |
| 20 | Baker County | 16,840 | $60,936 | $301,878 |
| 21 | Lake County | 8,267 | $62,787 | $194,098 |
| 22 | Gilliam County | 1,971 | $66,917 | $240,781 |
| 23 | Marion County | 349,244 | $77,351 | $443,038 |
| 24 | Umatilla County | 79,940 | $67,728 | $307,921 |
| 25 | Douglas County | 112,072 | $61,310 | $342,175 |
| 26 | Morrow County | 12,300 | $75,448 | $306,117 |
| 27 | Union County | 26,144 | $65,661 | $330,865 |
| 28 | Harney County | 7,499 | $55,208 | $211,051 |
| 29 | Lincoln County | 50,964 | $63,165 | $468,671 |
| 30 | Jefferson County | 25,203 | $76,260 | $428,109 |
| 31 | Grant County | 7,209 | $59,450 | $285,066 |
| 32 | Coos County | 64,827 | $62,143 | $346,172 |
| 33 | Wasco County | 26,552 | $64,175 | $398,015 |
| 34 | Josephine County | 88,179 | $60,098 | $388,613 |
| 35 | Malheur County | 31,954 | $54,519 | $309,312 |
| 35 | Klamath County | 70,247 | $58,830 | $311,079 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + FBI crime data via Saturday Night Science. All 36 Oregon counties.
Summary
Summary: The Best Counties In Oregon To Call Home For 2026
Living in Oregon can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Oregon are Clackamas County, Washington County, Deschutes County, Wallowa County, Columbia County, Polk County, Yamhill County, Tillamook County, Multnomah County, and Clatsop County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Oregon? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Counties In Oregon FAQs
What is the best county to live in Oregon?
Clackamas County is the best county to live in Oregon for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Washington County and Deschutes County are next.
What are the best counties in Oregon?
The best counties to live in Oregon are Clackamas County, Washington County, Deschutes County, Wallowa County, Columbia County, Polk County, Yamhill County, Tillamook County, Multnomah County, and Clatsop County. We ranked all 36 Oregon counties.
How do you rank the best counties?
Counties are scored on crime, home values, income, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey and FBI data. The county with the best average across all seven, Clackamas County, wins.
How expensive is it to live in Clackamas County?
The median household income in Clackamas County is $103,517 and the median home costs $615,069. Statewide, the typical Oregon home runs $499,004.
Which county in Oregon should you think twice about?
Klamath County lands at the bottom of the quality-of-life ranking for Oregon. People make good lives there anyway; the numbers just say it is the toughest of the 36 counties.
