Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Medford grades C− overall, ranked 91st of 142 in Oregon, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $404K, 5.5 years of the Medford metro’s $74K median household income. 55% of working residents work locally in Medford, against 9.5% in Oregon’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include South Oakdale Historic District and U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. Only 4 of Oregon’s 79 towns score lower on safety.
Where Medford beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Liberty Building
Census counts: 967 in 1890, a low of 967 in 1890, 85,824 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and a map from 1954 on.
43 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Medford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Medford, 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 Medford.
Medford’s property crime rate is 36.8 per 1,000 residents. Only 6 of the 75 Oregon towns we compare have a higher violent crime rate than Medford.
| Medford | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 36.8 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by Medford SD 549C. Three of its 28 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hedrick Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 952 | B− |
| South Medford High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,856 | B− |
| The Valley School of Southern OregonTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 127 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
26 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Bear Creek Park, at 96 acres. The trail density in Medford is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Medford | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Holmes Park | 1.1 mi | 17 |
| 2. Bear Creek Park | 0.7 mi | 96 |
| 3. Donahue-Frohnmayer Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Only 3 of the 142 Oregon towns we compare have a higher July high than Medford. Medford has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
56% of households own their home in Medford. The typical Medford home is worth about $404,000, up 1% in a year, 18% below the Oregon typical home. 57% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent in Medford.
| Medford | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 65% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 57% | 53% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,376 a month | $1,415 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 33,874 working residents takes 16.6 minutes, against 23 across Oregon.
Since 2013, Medford has added 6,989 jobs, to 49,397 in 2023. 13% of Medford residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Ashland (5%), Grants Pass (4%) and Central Point (4%).
| Medford | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 11% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Oregon average. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across Oregon.
| Medford | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 23% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.9 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 27% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1 point. Across Oregon, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 40.2, men 37.5.
| Medford | OR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.1% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.1% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.9% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.8% | 22.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.3% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.6% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.5% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Medford beats the Oregon average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3.
| Medford | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Medford | OR |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.4% | 8.5% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.6% | 3.3% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 60.1% | 64.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Medford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Medford. Close and well known come first.
31 mi National MonumentOregon Caves National Monument and Preserve64K visitors a year
19 mi Ski areaMount Ashland39 runs · 1,160 ft vertical
12 mi GardenLithia Park
13 mi MuseumScienceWorks MuseumOregon Caves National Monument and Preserve: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Ashland: Alex Lockhart, Public domain · Lithia Park: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · ScienceWorks Museum: Roberto J. Galindo, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Medford
About 4 of every 100 Medford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
74,907 counted in 2010 and 85,824 in 2020; an estimated 86,494 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 14.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
43 places in Medford on the National Register of Historic Places.
33 notable people were born in Medford.
City and county seat in Oregon, United States
Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census the city had a total population of 85,824, making it the eighth-most populous city in Oregon, and a metropolitan area population of 223,259, making the Medford Metropolitan Statistical Area the fifth largest metro area in Oregon. The city was named in 1883 by David Loring, civil engineer and right-of-way agent for the Oregon and California Railroad, after Medford, Massachusetts, which was near Loring's hometown of Concord, Massachusetts. Medford is near the middle fork of Bear Creek.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Medford.
| Town | OR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medford | #91 | C− | D | D | B+ | B− |
| Central Point | #68 | C | C− | B | C | B |
| Phoenix | #94 | C− | D | C− | B− | B− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Medford grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #91 of 142 in Oregon. It grades B− for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
33 notable people were born here, including Jason James Richter and Kyle Singler.
