Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 456, settled in 1876.
Fossil has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Thomas Benton Hoover House and Fossil Public School. Fossil has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 100 in 1880, a peak of 672 in 1960, 447 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fossil, 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 Fossil.
Flood insurance has paid out on 2 claims in Fossil since 1979. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 41% come from inland flooding and 29% from wildfires. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 94% of U.S. communities.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
It has one school. Its public schools are run by Fossil SD 21J. The largest public high school is Fossil Charter School, with 2,494 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|
NCES · EDFacts
Four in five households live in a home they own in Fossil. The typical Fossil home is worth about $266,000, up 4.5% in a year, 46% below the Oregon typical home.
| Fossil | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $754 a month | $1,414 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
A winter brings about 26 inches of snow, with January nights at 27° and July afternoons at 84°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For half of commuters, work is under 61 miles away. Of the 143 Oregon towns we compare, none has a lower average trip to work than Fossil. Commuting out is the norm locally: 17% of working residents work locally. The town’s middle household income comes in at $54,000.
| Fossil | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 10 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Only 4 of the 143 Oregon towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Fossil. On the CDC’s 26 measures, Fossil is ahead of Oregon on 5 and behind on 11. 30% of Fossil adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Fossil | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Fossil | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12% | 15.4% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80% | 71.4% |
| More adults with heart disease | 11.3% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Fossil; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Fossil residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
City in Oregon, United States
Fossil is a city in and the county seat of Wheeler County, Oregon, United States. The name was chosen by the first postmaster, Thomas B. Hoover, who had found some fossil remains on his ranch. As of the 2020 census, Fossil had a population of 447.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Fossil has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.