Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
60% more nonprofits per person than the typical Oregon town.
Pendleton grades D overall, ranked 99th of 142 in Oregon, mostly because of safety. Its police reported 65 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 87% of U.S. towns. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 88% of U.S. towns. 47% of working residents work locally in Pendleton, against 9.5% in Oregon’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Pendleton has 17 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them US Post Office and Courthouse and Bowman Hotel. Pendleton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Pendleton beats most towns.
Bowman Hotel
Census counts: 243 in 1870, 17,107 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Pendleton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pendleton, 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 Pendleton.
Pendleton is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has seen reported crime fall by about half and has commutes shorter than most of Oregon.
Reported crimes fell from 768 to 417 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Pendleton’s violent offense rate comes in at 3.8 per 1,000 residents. Its property offense rate comes in at 20.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Pendleton | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.7 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The largest public high school is Pendleton High School, with 763 students. Public schools: Pendleton SD 16. Three of the 8 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunridge Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 672 | B− |
| Pendleton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 763 | B |
| McKay Creek Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 265 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
A home in Pendleton typically sold within 12 days of listing. Among 140 Oregon towns, just 8 have a lower going rate for rent than Pendleton. 57% of households are owner-occupiers here. Typical home values rose 3.2% in the year to September 2026.
| Pendleton | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $956 a month | $1,415 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In July, afternoons reach 90°; in January, nights fall to 28°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 7,303 working residents takes 14.2 minutes, against 23 across Oregon.
The average trip to work in Pendleton is 14 minutes. Half of commuters travel less than 5 miles. The share of residents in Pendleton who live below the poverty line: 15%. The top destinations are Mission (12%), Hermiston (4%) and Portland (3%).
| Pendleton | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 7.9% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For Pendleton, the risk rating from FEMA is 55 of 100. Paid flood insurance claims here since 1978: 13. FEMA puts nearly two thirds of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 20% to cold waves. Federal aid has come to Pendleton households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2020.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 10,143 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pendleton’s, it is healthier than 69%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Only 8 of the 142 Oregon towns we compare have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Pendleton. 72% of Pendleton adults had a checkup this year.
| Pendleton | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 73% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Pendleton | OR |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 14.2% | 12% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 81.1% | 84% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The trail density for Pendleton comes to 0.3 miles per square mile. Trails run 3.0 miles in 18 parks and preserves. Also worth knowing: the biggest park or preserve is Pendleton Adventure Trails Recreation Area, at 404 acres.
| Pendleton | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pendleton Adventure Trails Recreation Area | 0.8 mi | 404 |
| 2. Rice-Blakey Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 3. McKay School Park | 0.4 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pendleton
About 6 of every 100 Pendleton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oregon.
17 places in Pendleton on the National Register of Historic Places.
21 notable people were born in Pendleton.
City in Oregon, United States
Pendleton is a city in and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Pendleton is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Hermiston–Pendleton Micropolitan Statistical Area. This micropolitan area covers Morrow and Umatilla counties and had a combined population of 92,261 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pendleton grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #99 of 142 in Oregon. It grades B− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($68,427 across the Hermiston-Pendleton, OR area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
21 notable people were born here, including Gordon H. Smith and Dave Cockrum.
