Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,972, founded in 1851. More miles of trail than almost any town in Oregon.
Jacksonville's standout: it has 11 miles of trail. Overall it grades C, 69th of 142 graded towns in Oregon. It is healthier than 78% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $596K, 8.1 years of the Medford metro’s $74K median household income. Jacksonville’s trail density is 5.6 miles per square mile, against 0.8 in Oregon’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Jacksonville's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns. Jacksonville has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Jacksonville Historic District and John Orth House.
Where Jacksonville beats most towns.
18.5% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Jacksonville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Jacksonville Historic District is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 839 in 1880, a low of 489 in 1920, 3,020 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1856 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jacksonville, 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 Jacksonville.
Jacksonville is one of Oregon’s best towns for the outdoors and has commutes shorter than most of Oregon, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Oregon.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #1 of 142 in Oregon.
Jacksonville Woodlands, at 188 acres with 6.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. More trails than any other town in Oregon.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jacksonville Woodlands | 6.7 mi | 188 |
| 2. Beekman Woods | 1.2 mi | 20 |
| 3. Beebe Woods | 0.4 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Medford SD 549C. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 328 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
People 65 and older are 35% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (23% statewide). At 55 years, Jacksonville’s median age is above both the Oregon town median (39.3 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). 15% of residents are under 18 in Jacksonville.
| Jacksonville | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 55 years | 39.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 21% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 27% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6 points. Across Oregon, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Jacksonville | OR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.8% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.6% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 2.4% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.8% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.9% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.2% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 23% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.2% | 22.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.1% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.5% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.9% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.5% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
14% of Jacksonville adults report frequent mental distress. Only 2 of the 142 Oregon towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Jacksonville. 17% of Jacksonville adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Jacksonville | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 72% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Jacksonville | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.5% | 12.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.3% | 8.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.9% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 8.1 years of the Medford metro’s $74K median household income, the typical home (about $596K) costs more against local pay than in 96% of Oregon towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. 68.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 52.5% across Oregon.
The typical Jacksonville home is worth about $596,000, up 2.4% in a year, 21% above the Oregon typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jacksonville has mild winters and warm summers. The July high in Jacksonville is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 2002, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jacksonville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 911 working residents takes 16.9 minutes, against 23 across Oregon.
Most working residents leave Jacksonville for work: only 7% work in town. Jacksonville’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Since 2013, Jacksonville has added 157 jobs, to 870 in 2023.
| Jacksonville | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.5% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among 76 Oregon towns, just 1 have a lower property crime rate than Jacksonville. Jacksonville's reported crime rate is well below Oregon's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Jacksonville | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 19 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 2.4 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Jacksonville
About 7 of every 100 Jacksonville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oregon.
4 places in Jacksonville on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Jacksonville.
City in Oregon, United States
Jacksonville is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of Medford. It was named for Jackson Creek, which flows through the community and was the site of one of the first placer gold claims in the area. It includes Jacksonville Historic District, which was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1966. As of the 2020 census, Jacksonville had a population of 3,020.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jacksonville grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #69 of 142 in Oregon. It grades A− for health and B+ for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
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−.
7 notable people were born here, including Pinto Colvig and Alfred E. Reames.
