Melrose Cemetery - DPLA - 48a9de7e3cdfec1b46a248d2bd41aea0, 2010
Melrose’s story
136 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2010.
- 1890Melrose is settled
MelroseOR
Today 964 people live in this town, first settled in 1890.
Photo: Jsayre64 · Public domain
Population
964
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$543K
Census ACS
Household income
$77K
median
Median age
47.4
years
Jobs based here
163
A commuter town
Is Melrose a good place to live?
Only one of the 143 Oregon towns we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Melrose. Melrose has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
964 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Melrose: who provides what
Melrose is unincorporated, so Douglas County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerDouglas Electric CoopEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterUmpqua Basin Water Assoc1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesDouglas CountyDouglas County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Oregon you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereDouglas County Clerk, Elections OfficeDouglas County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code9747197471 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Melrose.
Work & commute
Melrose stands out in Oregon and nationally, with fewer of its working residents who work locally
The share of residents in Melrose who live below the poverty line: 7.1%. Jobs based in Melrose grew to 163 in 2023, 45 more than in 2013. Its typical journey to work is 20 minutes, below both the Oregon town median (23 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Roseburg (40%), Winston (5%) and Eugene (5%).
1%work in town
| Melrose | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Melrose1%
Roseburg40%
Winston5%
Eugene5%
Green3%
7 mi
median commute distance
163
jobs based in Melrose
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Melrose’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to Douglas County SD 4. Its one school is below. 302 students attend Melrose’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melrose Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 302 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Who lives here
Young adults are less common in Melrose than in Oregon
Melrose’s age of the median resident is 47.4 years, against 39.4 years in Oregon’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 47% of residents (39% statewide). 37% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more here.
47.4median age · OR 40.4
| Melrose | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.4 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 27% | 29% |
MelroseOregonUnited States
Ages · share of residents
21%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school17%
Some college24%
Associate’s16%
Bachelor’s29%
Graduate8%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 42% and 67% women
The Census survey reached too few of Melrose’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±12.6 points. Across Oregon, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Melrose | OR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.4% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.1% | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.9% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 21% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.8% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.4% | 22.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.3% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.5% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.3% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazards
Melrose faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by earthquakes
Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 43% of Melrose’s expected hazard losses down to earthquakes, and 43% to inland flooding.
71risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingAvalanches
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
86°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter37–51°
Spring42–65°
Summer53–83°
Fall44–68°
Nov 20
typical first frost
Mar 19
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
86°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Melrose is
A fifth of Melrose adults get no exercise outside work. This Oregon town does better than the Oregon average on 4 of 26 CDC measures and worse on 3. Two figures for adults here: 77% had a checkup this year, 11% smoke cigarettes.
| Melrose | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 72% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 16% |
26 measures vs. Oregon
4 better19 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Melrose | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 8.5% |
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 77.1% | 72.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 8.9% |
VA Roseburg Healthcare System
4.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
$742Kmedian sale price
1
homes sold in September
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Melrose
16pages on Melrose
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Melrose
About 4 of every 100 Melrose residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Melrose for work
Where Melrose’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
163jobs based in Melrose
1%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Melrose
Unincorporated community in the state of Oregon, United States
Melrose is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Melrose had a population of 834. It was named by Henry Scott for Melrose Abbey in Scotland. Its post office, at first named Hogan, was established on May 18, 1887, and James McKinney was the first postmaster. Named earlier on as French Settlement, Oregon.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 420 ft
- Area code
- 458, 541
Questions about Melrose
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Melrose, OR a good place to live?
Melrose has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.