There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in Oregon that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.
Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Beaver State are so lucky.
Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within Oregon’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.
Like Veneta, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of Oregon according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Veneta. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in Oregon as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
41.0 median age · 22.0% married households · #18 oldest in Oregon
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.4 median age · 21.0% married households · #6 oldest in Oregon
Located in
Douglas County, Oregon
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
38.4 median age · 22.0% married households · #37 oldest in Oregon
Located in
Crook County, Oregon
Prineville is a city in and the county seat of Crook County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the first merchant located in the present location, Barney Prine. The population was 9,253 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
42.4 median age · 23.0% married households · #14 oldest in Oregon
Located in
Linn County, Oregon
Sweet Home is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. The population was 8,925 at the 2010 census. According to the city, “Sweet Home is sometimes referred to as the ‘Gateway to the Santiam Playground’ due to its proximity to nearby lakes, rivers and the Cascade Mountains.”
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
36.8 median age · 29.0% married households · #55 oldest in Oregon
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
39.8 median age · 20.0% married households · #24 oldest in Oregon
Located in
Columbia County, Oregon
St. Helens is the county seat of Columbia County, Oregon. It was founded by Captain H. M. Knighton, a native of New England, in 1845 as “Plymouth”. The name was changed to St. Helens in the latter part of 1850 for its view of Mount St. Helens, roughly 39 miles away in Washington. The city is approximately 28 miles northwest of Portland. Its population was 12,883 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
38.3 median age · 30.0% married households · #38 oldest in Oregon
Located in
Marion County, Oregon
Stayton is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States, located 12 miles southeast of the state capital, Salem, on Oregon Route 22. It is south of Sublimity and east of Aumsville. Located on the North Santiam River, Stayton is a regional agricultural and light manufacturing center. The population was 7,644 at the 2010 census. Established in 1872, it was incorporated in 1891. Stayton is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
40.3 median age · 33.0% married households · #22 oldest in Oregon
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
46.4 median age · 18.0% married households · #8 oldest in Oregon
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
37.2 median age · 31.0% married households · #50 oldest in Oregon
Creswell is a city in the Willamette Valley of Lane County, Oregon, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 5,031.
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.
On the map
Where the quiet settles in Oregon
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Beaver State
You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in Oregon. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.
Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.
To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.
We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. Some of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:
- % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
- Average Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.
For this ranking, we used every Oregon city with at least 5,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.
Grab your rocker and hold on.
We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the most boring cities in Oregon.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In Oregon For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Boring Score | Population | Average Age | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veneta | 15.90 | 5,200 | 41.0 | 22.0% | 36.9% |
| 2 | Sutherlin | 19.80 | 8,599 | 47.4 | 21.0% | 20.9% |
| 3 | Prineville | 19.90 | 11,470 | 38.4 | 22.0% | 34.1% |
| 4 | Sweet Home | 21.20 | 10,078 | 42.4 | 23.0% | 24.8% |
| 5 | Estacada | 24.40 | 5,152 | 36.8 | 29.0% | 32.2% |
| 6 | St. Helens | 25.90 | 14,258 | 39.8 | 20.0% | 35.6% |
| 7 | Stayton | 26.00 | 8,292 | 38.3 | 30.0% | 38.0% |
| 8 | Scappoose | 26.30 | 8,179 | 40.3 | 33.0% | 30.0% |
| 9 | Winston | 26.50 | 5,690 | 46.4 | 18.0% | 26.4% |
| 10 | Creswell | 26.90 | 5,621 | 37.2 | 31.0% | 41.0% |
| 11 | Warrenton | 27.30 | 6,327 | 39.3 | 18.0% | 27.7% |
| 12 | Canby | 28.70 | 18,134 | 43.0 | 27.0% | 31.5% |
| 13 | Brookings | 28.80 | 6,703 | 50.6 | 6.0% | 28.6% |
| 14 | Happy Valley | 28.90 | 26,738 | 39.0 | 17.0% | 39.9% |
| 15 | North Bend | 29.50 | 10,171 | 43.4 | 17.0% | 28.3% |
| 16 | Silverton | 29.90 | 10,456 | 38.5 | 21.0% | 36.9% |
| 17 | West Linn | 30.10 | 26,935 | 43.3 | 16.0% | 37.0% |
| 18 | Seaside | 30.60 | 7,192 | 51.2 | 13.0% | 15.1% |
| 19 | Florence | 30.60 | 9,482 | 60.8 | 11.0% | 14.5% |
| 20 | Newport | 30.60 | 10,583 | 51.3 | 9.0% | 18.8% |
| 21 | Pendleton | 30.70 | 16,950 | 36.9 | 20.0% | 36.1% |
| 22 | Coos Bay | 31.20 | 15,925 | 44.1 | 14.0% | 20.9% |
| 23 | Central Point | 31.30 | 19,216 | 41.7 | 20.0% | 31.9% |
| 24 | Roseburg | 32.00 | 23,778 | 39.6 | 15.0% | 28.6% |
| 25 | Lake Oswego | 32.20 | 40,381 | 46.7 | 14.0% | 30.7% |
| 26 | Redmond | 32.30 | 36,092 | 36.2 | 19.0% | 33.0% |
| 27 | Troutdale | 32.60 | 15,923 | 38.1 | 21.0% | 33.2% |
| 28 | Dallas | 32.60 | 17,531 | 40.9 | 22.0% | 28.6% |
| 29 | Eagle Point | 33.30 | 9,839 | 37.7 | 22.0% | 31.6% |
| 30 | Astoria | 33.70 | 10,109 | 40.3 | 13.0% | 20.0% |
| 31 | Gladstone | 33.80 | 11,977 | 44.8 | 21.0% | 23.4% |
| 32 | Grants Pass | 34.00 | 39,311 | 40.8 | 14.0% | 34.4% |
| 33 | Milwaukie | 34.20 | 21,392 | 41.3 | 19.0% | 25.1% |
| 34 | Cottage Grove | 34.30 | 10,698 | 38.9 | 19.0% | 31.9% |
| 35 | Albany | 34.60 | 56,839 | 37.7 | 21.0% | 32.2% |
| 36 | Bend | 35.30 | 103,390 | 40.9 | 11.0% | 26.9% |
| 37 | Tigard | 35.40 | 56,011 | 39.4 | 17.0% | 30.6% |
| 38 | Sandy | 36.60 | 12,854 | 34.8 | 27.0% | 39.2% |
| 39 | Lebanon | 37.40 | 19,344 | 37.2 | 20.0% | 24.9% |
| 40 | Umatilla | 37.90 | 7,508 | 35.6 | 10.0% | 38.3% |
| 41 | Wilsonville | 37.90 | 26,974 | 37.7 | 15.0% | 29.0% |
| 42 | Sheridan | 38.10 | 6,339 | 39.6 | 13.0% | 26.8% |
| 43 | Medford | 38.30 | 86,315 | 38.9 | 15.0% | 30.6% |
| 44 | Madras | 38.90 | 7,676 | 32.6 | 15.0% | 44.4% |
| 45 | The Dalles | 39.00 | 15,917 | 38.5 | 16.0% | 24.1% |
| 46 | Molalla | 40.20 | 10,186 | 32.2 | 28.0% | 42.3% |
| 47 | Hood River | 41.00 | 8,361 | 38.2 | 11.0% | 30.7% |
| 48 | Keizer | 41.80 | 39,082 | 37.4 | 22.0% | 32.1% |
| 49 | Ashland | 42.20 | 21,259 | 47.7 | 6.0% | 15.2% |
| 50 | Tualatin | 42.60 | 27,763 | 37.4 | 15.0% | 31.0% |
| 51 | Tillamook | 42.80 | 5,218 | 37.0 | 16.0% | 34.7% |
| 52 | Fairview | 42.90 | 10,735 | 37.4 | 14.0% | 23.0% |
| 53 | Sherwood | 43.10 | 20,307 | 36.7 | 19.0% | 45.4% |
| 54 | Klamath Falls | 43.10 | 22,115 | 35.2 | 15.0% | 28.9% |
| 55 | McMinnville | 43.30 | 34,596 | 38.9 | 15.0% | 29.9% |
| 56 | Springfield | 44.00 | 61,499 | 37.4 | 17.0% | 30.6% |
| 57 | Hermiston | 44.60 | 19,546 | 30.9 | 13.0% | 48.1% |
| 58 | Philomath | 44.70 | 5,642 | 37.3 | 16.0% | 22.6% |
| 59 | Gresham | 45.40 | 112,378 | 37.0 | 17.0% | 32.6% |
| 60 | Salem | 47.30 | 178,865 | 36.0 | 15.0% | 31.8% |
| 61 | Ontario | 47.40 | 11,842 | 35.2 | 14.0% | 30.9% |
| 62 | Portland | 48.40 | 641,165 | 38.8 | 9.0% | 22.0% |
| 63 | Independence | 49.30 | 10,199 | 30.7 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| 64 | La Grande | 49.40 | 13,058 | 32.9 | 22.0% | 23.1% |
| 65 | Beaverton | 49.40 | 97,812 | 37.8 | 11.0% | 27.5% |
| 66 | Talent | 50.00 | 6,254 | 41.3 | 10.0% | 19.5% |
| 67 | Forest Grove | 50.30 | 26,529 | 34.0 | 16.0% | 33.9% |
| 68 | Woodburn | 51.00 | 27,875 | 38.6 | 9.0% | 32.3% |
| 69 | Hillsboro | 51.80 | 108,231 | 35.0 | 11.0% | 29.5% |
| 70 | Milton-Freewater | 52.90 | 7,036 | 32.9 | 6.0% | 40.9% |
| 71 | Newberg | 53.50 | 26,066 | 34.8 | 16.0% | 30.6% |
| 72 | Cornelius | 57.20 | 14,255 | 35.1 | 11.0% | 33.1% |
| 73 | Eugene | 61.20 | 179,591 | 35.2 | 11.0% | 21.1% |
| 74 | Monmouth | 63.60 | 11,428 | 27.1 | 13.0% | 29.0% |
| 75 | Corvallis | 70.20 | 59,960 | 27.9 | 7.0% | 19.6% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 75 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since Oregon isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.
The most boring cities in Oregon are Veneta, Sutherlin, Prineville, Sweet Home, Estacada, St. Helens, Stayton, Scappoose, Winston, and Creswell.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in Oregon, according to science.
