Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Cascade Locks’ subject grades are an A for the outdoors and civic life; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. Cascade Locks’ median age is 51.6 years, where Oregon’s towns sit at 39.4 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Only 10 of the 143 Oregon towns we compare have a lower share of children under 18 than Cascade Locks. Cascade Locks’ trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile, where Oregon’s towns sit at 0.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Cascade Locks has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Bonneville Dam Historic District and Bonneville Dam Historic District (Boundary Increase). Cascade Locks has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Cascade Locks beats most towns.
1,144 counted in 2010 and 1,379 in 2020; an estimated 1,367 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Cascade Locks is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cascade Locks, 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 Cascade Locks.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 83% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Cascade Locks since 1996.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by Hood River County SD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade Locks SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 65 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Cascade Locks for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2013, Cascade Locks has added 41 jobs, to 282 in 2023. The top destinations are Hood River (20%), Portland (7%) and The Dalles (4%).
| Cascade Locks | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 5.1% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Cascade Locks has mild winters and pleasant summers. Cascade Locks’ July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 47% of residents (39% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (23% statewide). 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across Oregon.
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.6 points. Across Oregon, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Cascade Locks | OR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.1% | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.8% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.5% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.7% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 23.3% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.4% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.2% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.9% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 14.2% | 22.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.2% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 20.1% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.1% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
Cascade Locks beats the Oregon average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 72% of Cascade Locks adults had a checkup this year.
| Cascade Locks | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 72% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Cascade Locks | OR |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.2% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Cascade Locks home is worth about $405,000, up 3.6% in a year, 18% below the Oregon typical home. 80% of households own their home in Cascade Locks.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
7.2 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Mount Hood National Forest, at 85 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mount Hood National Forest | 1.4 mi | 85 |
| 2. Cascade Locks Marine Park | 0.5 mi | 15 |
| 3. Thunder Island | 0.5 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cascade Locks. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi MountainMount St. Helens
Big draw23 mi MountainMount Hood
14 mi WaterfallMultnomah Falls
4 mi Canyon & gorgeColumbia River Gorge
4 mi DamBonneville Dam
40 mi Stadium & arenaModa CenterMount St. Helens: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain · Mount Hood: Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory., Public domain · Multnomah Falls: John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Columbia River Gorge: Hux, Public domain · Bonneville Dam: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain · Moda Center: Lugnuts, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Cascade Locks; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Cascade Locks residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oregon.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 places in Cascade Locks on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Oregon, United States
Cascade Locks is a city in Hood River County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Cascade Locks had a population of 1,379. Cascade Locks is just upstream from the Bridge of the Gods, a toll bridge that spans the Columbia River. It is the only bridge across the Columbia between Portland and Hood River. Cascade Locks is a few miles upstream of Eagle Creek Gorge, a popular scenic area that doubles as an alternate route for the Pacific Crest Trail. Cascade Locks is used frequently by hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) to cross the Columbia River. Cascade Locks is the lowest point along the trail, which runs from the Mexico–US border in California to the Canada–US border in Was…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($88,947 across the Hood River, OR area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
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