Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban Oregon? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs in Oregon, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Oregon suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
$141,549 median income · $882,925 median home price
Located in
Washington County, Oregon
Lake Oswego is a city in the State of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located about 8 miles south of Portland and surrounding the 405-acre Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in 1910. The city was the hub of Oregon’s brief iron industry in the late 19th century and is today an affluent suburb of Portland. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 36,619, a 3.8% increase over the 2000 population of 35,278.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$146,507 median income · $777,229 median home price
Located in
Clackamas County, Oregon
West Linn is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. Now a southern suburb within the Portland metropolitan area, West Linn has a history of early development, prompted by the opportunity to harvest energy from nearby Willamette Falls. It was named after U.S. Senator Lewis F. Linn of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, who had advocated the American occupation of Oregon as a counterclaim to the British. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 25,109.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$109,966 median income · $633,005 median home price
Located in
Washington County, Oregon
Sherwood is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located in the southeast corner of the county, it is a residential community in the Tualatin Valley, southwest of Portland. As of the 2010 census, Sherwood had a population of 18,194 residents. The city’s population for 2014 was estimated to be 18,978 by the U.S. Census. Sherwood was first incorporated in 1893 as a town. Originally named Smockville after its founder, James Christopher Smock, the town was given its current name by local businessman Robert Alexander in 1891, who likely named it after his hometown of Sherwood, Michigan.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$108,823 median income · $608,407 median home price
Located in
Washington County, Oregon
Tigard is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 48,035 at the 2010 census. As of 2007, Tigard was the state’s 12th largest city. Incorporated in 1961, the city is located south of Beaverton and north of Tualatin, and is part of the Portland metropolitan area. Interstate 5 and Oregon Route 217 are the main freeways in the city, with Oregon Route 99W and Oregon Route 210 serving as other major highways. Public transit service is provided by TriMet, via several bus routes and the WES Commuter Rail line.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$100,989 median income · $590,607 median home price
Located in
Clackamas County, Oregon
Canby is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 15,829 at the 2010 census. It is along Oregon Route 99E, 2 miles northeast of Barlow. In May 2016 Canby was featured on ABC’s series 20/20, when the local “Canby Psychic” was part of an investigation of swindling a local rancher of $15 million.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$108,984 median income · $523,760 median home price
Located in
Clackamas County, Oregon
Sandy is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, and named after the nearby Sandy River. The city serves as the western gateway to the Mount Hood Corridor, 25 miles east of Portland. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 9,570.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$89,318 median income · $497,975 median home price
Located in
Clackamas County, Oregon
Molalla is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 8,108 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$104,043 median income · $638,736 median home price
Located in
Washington County, Oregon
Tualatin is a city located primarily in Washington County in the State of Oregon. A small portion of the city is also located in neighboring Clackamas County. It is a southwestern suburb in the Portland Metropolitan Area that is located south of Tigard. The population was 26,054 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$86,892 median income · $519,433 median home price
Located in
Multnomah County, Oregon
Milwaukie is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1847 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city, known as the Dogwood City of the West, was incorporated in 1903 and is noted as the birthplace of the Bing cherry. The city is now a suburb of Portland and also adjoins the unincorporated areas of Clackamas and Oak Grove.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$97,708 median income · $489,282 median home price
Located in
Columbia County, Oregon
Scappoose is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It was named for a nearby stream, which drains the southern part of the county. The name “Scappoose” is of Native American origin, and is said to mean “gravelly plain.” The population was 6,592 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
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
On the map
Where Oregon’s best suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Beaver State
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Oregon. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Oregon, we looked at every town with at least 5,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in Oregon across these criteria from one to 24, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Oregon.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Oregon.
Read on to see why Lake Oswego is the ‘burb with the most, while Woodburn is probably not the best place to live in Oregon.
The full plate
The Best Suburbs In Oregon
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Oswego | 40,381 | $141,549 | $882,925 |
| 2 | West Linn | 26,935 | $146,507 | $777,229 |
| 3 | Sherwood | 20,307 | $109,966 | $633,005 |
| 4 | Tigard | 56,011 | $108,823 | $608,407 |
| 5 | Canby | 18,134 | $100,989 | $590,607 |
| 6 | Sandy | 12,854 | $108,984 | $523,760 |
| 7 | Molalla | 10,186 | $89,318 | $497,975 |
| 8 | Tualatin | 27,763 | $104,043 | $638,736 |
| 9 | Milwaukie | 21,392 | $86,892 | $519,433 |
| 10 | Scappoose | 8,179 | $97,708 | $489,282 |
| 11 | Newberg | 26,066 | $93,232 | $530,485 |
| 12 | Beaverton | 97,812 | $98,622 | $530,795 |
| 13 | Happy Valley | 26,738 | $122,151 | $681,241 |
| 14 | Hillsboro | 108,231 | $106,409 | $522,557 |
| 15 | Gladstone | 11,977 | $91,250 | $517,793 |
| 16 | Troutdale | 15,923 | $89,337 | $492,004 |
| 17 | Forest Grove | 26,529 | $87,933 | $525,623 |
| 18 | Wilsonville | 26,974 | $96,236 | $635,208 |
| 19 | St. Helens | 14,258 | $82,865 | $425,040 |
| 20 | Cornelius | 14,255 | $96,273 | $485,775 |
| 21 | Estacada | 5,152 | $94,435 | $540,538 |
| 22 | Fairview | 10,735 | $70,107 | $479,771 |
| 23 | Gresham | 112,378 | $77,795 | $471,181 |
| 24 | Woodburn | 27,875 | $67,347 | $425,248 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS via Saturday Night Science. 24 Oregon suburbs within 30 miles of a city over 200,000.
Summary
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Oregon
If you’re measuring the locations in Oregon where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in Oregon are Lake Oswego, West Linn, Sherwood, Tigard, Canby, Sandy, Molalla, Tualatin, Milwaukie, and Scappoose.
