Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lake Oswego grades A overall, 4th among Oregon's 142 graded towns. Its schools score near the top of Oregon on tests and graduation. It is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $142K. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $863K for a typical one and 8.9 times the Portland metro’s $97K median household income. 75% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Lake Oswego, above both the Oregon town median (27%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Lake Oswego has 15 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Oregon Iron Company Furnace and Lake Oswego Odd Fellows Hall. Lake Oswego is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Lake Oswego beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Grove Elementary School | K–5 | 425 |
| Oak Creek Elementary School | K–5 | 402 |
| Forest Hills Elementary School | K–5 | 389 |
Oregon Iron Company Furnace| Widest gap | Lake Oswego | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.7% | 12.5% |
Census counts: 96 in 1880, 40,731 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 7 maps from 1914 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Lake Oswego is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lake Oswego. Close and well known come first.
8 mi Stadium & arenaModa Center
8 mi Stadium & arenaProvidence Park
31 mi WaterfallMultnomah Falls
8 mi MuseumPittock Mansion
9 mi GardenForest Park
8 mi Stadium & arenaVeterans Memorial ColiseumModa Center: Lugnuts, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Providence Park: Pdx.rollingthunder, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Multnomah Falls: John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Pittock Mansion: PittockBack.jpg: Cacophony derivative work: Tiptoety talk, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Forest Park: EncMstr, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Veterans Memorial Coliseum: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Oswego, 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 Lake Oswego.
Lake Oswego is among the three healthiest towns in Oregon, fares better on crime within Oregon than nationally and has schools in the top 5% of Oregon.
At 8.9 years of the Portland metro’s $97K median household income, the typical home (about $863K) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Oregon towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; West Linn is next at $762K.
Lake Oswego’s median rent is $2,139 a month. The typical Lake Oswego home is worth about $863,000, up 1.5% in a year, 75% above the Oregon typical home.
| Lake Oswego | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,139 a month | $1,413 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 65% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 47% | 53% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #1 of the 142 Oregon towns we grade for schools. Its A+ is the best School Grade on its borders; Stafford (A) is next.
Its public schools are run by Lake Oswego SD 7J. Three of its 21 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeridge Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 888 | A |
| Lake Oswego High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,282 | A |
| Westridge Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 389 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
It ranks #2 of the 142 Oregon towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Oregon is tooth loss: 4.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.5% statewide.
13% of Lake Oswego adults report frequent mental distress. No town among the 142 in Oregon we compare has a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Lake Oswego. 11% of Lake Oswego adults report frequent physical distress.
| Lake Oswego | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.4% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 21% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lake Oswego | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.7% | 12.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.7% | 8.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
19 miles of trail in 35 parks and preserves. The trail density in Lake Oswego is 1.6 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Tryon Creek State Natural Area, 219 acres with 2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Iron Mountain Park | 2.2 mi | 54 |
| 2. Tryon Creek State Natural Area | 2 mi | 219 |
| 3. Springbrook Park | 2 mi | 52 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Lake Oswego has mild winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 36° and about 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 13.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 90% of Oregon’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 554 to 389 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Only 4 of the 75 Oregon towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Lake Oswego.
| Lake Oswego | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.2 per 1,000 residents | 15.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
31.8% of workers work from home, against 19% across Oregon.
Most working residents leave Lake Oswego for work: only 13% work in town. 32% of workers work from home in Lake Oswego. Jobs based in Lake Oswego grew to 23,758 in 2023, 5,298 more than in 2013.
| Lake Oswego | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 32% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $142,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 56 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lake Oswego.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
16 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Oswego
About 4 of every 100 Lake Oswego residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
36,619 counted in 2010 and 40,731 in 2020; an estimated 39,722 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 2.7%, after 11.2% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
15 places in Lake Oswego on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Lake Oswego.
City in Oregon, United States
Lake Oswego ( oss-WEE-goh) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Population in 2020 was 40,731, an 11.2% increase since 2010, making it the 11th most populous city in Oregon. Located about 7 miles (11 km) south of Portland and surrounding the 405-acre (164 ha) Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in 1910. The city was the hub of Oregon's brief iron industry in the late 19th century, and is today a suburb of Portland.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Lake Oswego.
At #4 in OR, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; West Linn (A) comes closest.
| Town | OR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Oswego | #4 | A | D− | B | A+ | A+ |
| Stafford | — | — | D | — | A | A |
| Oak Grove | #37 | B | D | — | B+ | B+ |
| Portland | #61 | C+ | D | D− | A | A− |
| West Linn | #6 | A | D− | B+ | A | A |
| Tualatin | #42 | B− | D | C− | A | A− |
| Rivergrove | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Stafford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Stafford and Oak Grove report no FBI crime data of their own. Rivergrove isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lake Oswego with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lake Oswego grades A overall, better than 89% of U.S. towns and #4 of 142 in Oregon. It grades A+ for health, B for safety and A+ for schools. 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 Marissa Neitling and Lisa Schlenker.
