Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ashland's standout: it is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades B−, ranked 45th of 142 in Oregon. Its schools rank ahead of 96% of Oregon towns and it is healthier than 81% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $542K, 7.3 years of the Medford metro’s $74K median household income. 66% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ashland, above both Oregon’s towns (27%) and U.S. towns (29%). Its National Register listings include Lithia Park and IOOF Building. Ashland's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 100% of U.S. towns.
Where Ashland beats most towns.
H. B. Carter House
Its 51 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Oregon towns with a listing.
Census counts: 327 in 1860, 21,360 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1876 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Ashland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ashland, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Ashland.
Ashland has schools in the top 5% of Oregon and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Oregon.
20 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. The trail density in Ashland is 3.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hald/Strawberry Park | 0.8 mi | 18 |
| 2. North Mountain Park Nature Center | 0.5 mi | 9 |
| 3. Liberty Street Park | 0.4 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A+ ranks #3 of the 142 Oregon towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $542K.
Its public schools are run by Ashland SD 5. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 529 | – |
| Ashland High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 877 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Against the 10,334 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ashland’s, it is healthier than 96%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
9.3% of Ashland adults smoke cigarettes. Ashland beats the Oregon average on 6 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 30% of Ashland adults have obesity.
| Ashland | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.3% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 21% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Ashland | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.1% | 12.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 8.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.8% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Ashland has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Ashland’s July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Oregon, it does better than 59% of towns.
| Ashland | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.5 per 1,000 residents | 15.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 7,098 working residents takes 16.8 minutes, against 23 across Oregon.
40% of Ashland’s working residents work right in town. 21% of workers work from home in Ashland. The top destinations are Medford (24%), Grants Pass (3%) and Portland (2%).
| Ashland | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 40% | 9.5% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 21% | 14% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ashland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 7.3 years of the Medford metro’s $74K median household income, the typical home (about $542K) costs more against local pay than in 87% of Oregon towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
The typical Ashland home is worth about $542,000, up 2.1% in a year, 10% above the Oregon typical home.
| Ashland | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,387 a month | $1,415 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ashland. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Ski areaMount Ashland39 runs · 1,160 ft vertical
in town GardenLithia Park
35 mi National MonumentOregon Caves National Monument and Preserve64K visitors a year
in town MuseumScienceWorks MuseumMount Ashland: Alex Lockhart, Public domain · Lithia Park: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · ScienceWorks Museum: Roberto J. Galindo, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Ashland
About 13 of every 100 Ashland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
14.3% of the town is conserved land, across 17 parks and preserves.
51 places in Ashland on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Ashland.
City in Oregon, United States
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 census. The city is the home of Southern Oregon University (SOU) and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). These are important contributors to Ashland's economy, which also depends on restaurants, galleries, and retail stores that cater to tourists. Lithia Park along Ashland Creek, historic buildings, and a paved intercity bike trail provide additional visitor attractions. Ashland, originally called "Ashland Mills", was named after Ashland County, Ohio, th…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ashland grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #45 of 142 in Oregon. It grades A− for health, C+ for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Oregon, it does better than 59% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
15 notable people were born here, including Peter Hollens and Don Barclay.
