NehalemOR
A town of 272, settled in 1870.
Is Nehalem a good place to live?
Nehalem’s July high is 67°F, below both the Oregon town median (82°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Only 10 of the 143 Oregon towns we compare have a higher median age than Nehalem. Nehalem has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Nehalem stand out
Where Nehalem beats most towns.
272 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Nehalem: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nehalem, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Nehalem.
With 2.5 jobs for every working resident, Nehalem draws in 169 commuters
Most working residents leave Nehalem for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Nehalem has added 82 jobs, to 174 in 2023. The top destinations are Manzanita (9%), Tillamook (7%) and Portland (7%).
| Nehalem | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 8.9% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.1% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The schools Nehalem’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by Neah-Kah-Nie SD 56. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nehalem Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 171 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
The FEMA risk score in Nehalem is higher than in most of Oregon or the rest of the country
At 93 of 100, Nehalem’s FEMA risk score is where Oregon’s towns sit at 64 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Since 1981, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nehalem.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Nehalem, expect mild winters and pleasant summers
Nehalem has mild winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Nehalem is 38°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes in Nehalem are worth about $584K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Nehalem home is worth about $584,000, up 0.7% in a year, 18% above the Oregon typical home. 84% of Nehalem households own their home.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
How healthy Nehalem is
Nehalem beats the Oregon average on 3 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Nehalem.
| Nehalem | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 25% |
| What stands out | Nehalem | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9% | 12.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.4% | 8.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nehalem City Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Tillamook Rock Light and 12 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nehalem. Close and well known come first.
16 mi LighthouseTillamook Rock Light
29 mi LandmarkFort Clatsop
21 mi MuseumTillamook Air Museum
15 mi State parkEcola State Park
11 mi Scenic railwayOregon Coast Scenic Railroad
34 mi LandmarkFort StevensPhoto credits
Tillamook Rock Light: Jwyoung, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Clatsop: Glenn Scofield Williams from USA, CC BY 2.0 · Tillamook Air Museum: Semifamous at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Ecola State Park: Brmuchim (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad: Rich gitsch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Stevens: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, Attribution
_(clatDA0106a).jpg){kind=link}
Everything we know about Nehalem
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Nehalem; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Nehalem residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
Every workday, about 169 people come to Nehalem for work
Where Nehalem’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Nehalem
City in Oregon, United States
Nehalem is a city in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. Incorporated in 1889, the city lies along the Nehalem River and Nehalem Bay near the Pacific Ocean. It is bisected by U.S. Route 101. The population was 355 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1889
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 11 ft
- ZIP code
- 97131
- Area code
- 503
Questions about Nehalem
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Nehalem, OR a good place to live?
Nehalem has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.