Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Oregon.
The best of Joseph’s subject grades are an A+ for schools and an A for civic life; the weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Joseph’s median age is 58 years, above both Oregon’s towns (39.4 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). Among 143 Oregon towns, just 1 have a lower January low than Joseph. Joseph has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them First Bank of Joseph and College Creek Ranger Station. Joseph has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Joseph beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Charter School | K–12 | 264 |
Nez Perce Traditional Site, Wallowa LakeIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Joseph is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Joseph, 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 Joseph.
Its public schools are run by Joseph SD 6. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Charter SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 264 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Joseph has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. At 82°F, Joseph’s July high is against 82°F in Oregon’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 5 of Joseph’s working residents works in town. Joseph’s average trip to work is 16 minutes. Since 2013, Joseph has added 33 jobs, to 381 in 2023.
| Joseph | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Joseph beats the Oregon average on 6 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 41% of Joseph adults have high blood pressure. Only 7 of the 143 Oregon towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Joseph.
| Joseph | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Joseph | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.6% | 12.5% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 71.4% | 63.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Joseph | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Iwetemlaykin State Heritage Site | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Joseph home is worth about $502,000, up 2.2% in a year, close to the Oregon typical home.
| Joseph | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,151 a month | $1,414 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 65% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Joseph; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Joseph residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
3 places in Joseph on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Oregon, United States
Joseph is a city in Wallowa County, Oregon, United States. Originally named Silver Lake and Lake City, the city formally named itself in 1880 for Chief Joseph (1840–1904) of the Nez Perce people. As of the 2020 census, Joseph had a population of 1,154.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Public schools that outperform most of Oregon.
That is 7.5 years of the area's median household income ($67,112 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
2 notable people were born here, including Margaret Osborne duPont and Rod Scribner.
