Cape Meares Lighthouse · National Register of Historic Places
Cape Meares’s story
73 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 maps from 1942 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1953Cape Meares is settled
Cape MearesOR
This town of 225 people was settled in 1953.
Cape Meares Lighthouse · Photo: Gordon Banks · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
225
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$639K
Census ACS
Household income
$89K
median
Median age
74.6
years
Land area
3 sq mi
Is Cape Meares a good place to live?
Cape Meares’ July high is 67°F, where Oregon’s towns sit at 82°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Of the 143 Oregon towns we compare, none has a higher midpoint age than Cape Meares. Cape Meares’ trail density is 2.7 miles per square mile, where Oregon’s towns sit at 0.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Cape Meares Lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. Cape Meares has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
225 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Cape Meares: who provides what
Cape Meares is unincorporated, so Tillamook County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerTillamook Peoples Utility Dist12.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterOceanside WD - Cape Meares water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet1 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesTillamook CountyTillamook County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Oregon you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTillamook County Clerk, Elections OfficeTillamook County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code9714197141 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Cape Meares.
Natural hazards
The FEMA risk score in Cape Meares is higher than in the typical Oregon or U.S. town
Nearly three fifths of Cape Meares’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 28%. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 92% of U.S. communities.
92risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingTsunamis
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Cape Meares stands out in Oregon and nationally, with fewer of its residents who live below the poverty line
For half of commuters, work is under 9 miles away. The top destinations are Tillamook (21%), Portland (12%) and Salem (4%). Cape Meares’ middle household income stands at $89,000.
0%work in town
| Cape Meares | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 1.3% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Cape Meares0%
Tillamook21%
Portland12%
Salem4%
Milwaukie3%
9 mi
median commute distance
0
jobs based in Cape Meares
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Cape Meares, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
Cape Meares’ January low comes in at 38°F.
68°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter38–50°
Spring41–56°
Summer50–66°
Fall44–61°
Oct 21
typical first frost
Apr 22
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
68°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Cape Meares is
Of the 143 Oregon towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Cape Meares. This Oregon town does better than the Oregon average on 5 of 26 CDC measures and worse on 11. Among adults locally, 47% have high blood pressure.
| Cape Meares | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 33% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 36% |
26 measures vs. Oregon
5 better10 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Cape Meares | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.9% | 15.4% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 73.3% | 63.4% |
| More adults with heart disease | 13.1% | 6.5% |
Adventist Health Tillamook
6.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Open space protected for good: 5.3% of Cape Meares
10 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge, at 131 acres. Parks and preserves locally: 2, covering 242 acres.
5.3%conserved
5.3%
conserved · 125 of 2,342 acres
10 mi
of trails · 2.7 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge | 0.9 mi | 131 |
| 2. Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint | 0.7 mi | 111 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Housing
Homes in Cape Meares sell for about $950K
For households in Cape Meares, the share who live in a home they own is 100%.
$950Kmedian sale price
0
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cape Meares
16pages on Cape Meares
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Cape Meares
About 0 of every 100 Cape Meares residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Cape Meares for work
Where Cape Meares’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
0jobs based in Cape Meares
0%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Cape Meares
Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States
Cape Meares is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Cape Meares had a population of 135. The community is named after the natural feature of the same name, which in turn was named after John Meares, a British explorer. The Bayocean post office was briefly renamed "Cape Meares" in 1953 but closed the next year.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 249 ft
- Area code
- 503
Questions about Cape Meares
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cape Meares, OR a good place to live?
Cape Meares has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.