Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,101, settled in 1855. 4.9 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Oregon town.
Port Orford’s best subject grades are an A− for walkability and the outdoors and an A+ for civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. On civic life, just 14 of Oregon’s 161 towns do better. Port Orford has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Cape Blanco Lighthouse and Patrick Hughes House. Port Orford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Port Orford beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Port Orford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 146 in 1860, a low of 100 in 1870, 1,146 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1942 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Port Orford, 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 Port Orford.
The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Port Orford at 1,101 residents, down 3.8% since 2020. In Port Orford, 32% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more, above both Oregon’s towns (27%) and U.S. towns (29%). People 65 and older are 43% of residents (19% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 8% of residents (23% statewide).
| Port Orford | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 62.7 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 27% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.1 points. Across Oregon, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Port Orford | OR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.7% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.3% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 4.9% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.7% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 25.3% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 26.8% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.8% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.2% | 22.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 30% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.7% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.5% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.8% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Public schools: Port Orford-Langlois SD 2CJ. Its one school is below. Enrollment at the town’s public school: 174 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driftwood Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 174 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Of the losses FEMA expects in Port Orford, 47% come from tsunamis and 31% from earthquakes. Compared with 90% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is higher. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1981: 3.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Port Orford, nearly four in five adults had a checkup this year, where Oregon’s towns sit at 72% and U.S. towns at 79%. Only 8 of the 143 Oregon towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Port Orford. 11% of Port Orford adults binge drink. Against the Oregon average, Port Orford comes out ahead on 5 CDC measures out of 26, and behind on 12.
| Port Orford | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Port Orford | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.1% | 15.4% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.8% | 71.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.4% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Port Orford, 65% of households own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its typical July afternoon high comes in at 68°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For residents in Port Orford, the share who live below the poverty line is 24%, though of the 143 Oregon towns we compare, none has a lower median household income than Port Orford. The town’s mean commuting time comes in at 31 minutes. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Port Orford dropped by 79, to 213.
| Port Orford | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $37,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Trails total 0.9 miles in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Tseriadun State Recreation Site, at 36 acres. Parks and preserves in Port Orford: 5, covering 50 acres.
| Port Orford | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tseriadun State Recreation Site | 0.1 mi | 36 |
| 2. Buffington Memorial Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Battle Rock Wayside Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Port Orford; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Port Orford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
City in Oregon, United States
Port Orford (Tolowa: tr’ee-ghi~’- ’an’) is a city in Curry County on the southern coast of Oregon, United States. The population was 1,146 at the 2020 census. The city takes its name from George Vancouver's original name for nearby Cape Blanco, which he named for George, Earl of Orford, "a much-respected friend." Port Orford is the westernmost settlement in the state of Oregon, and the westernmost incorporated place in the 48 contiguous states.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
4.9 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Oregon town.
That is 6.1 years of the area's median household income ($62,244 across the Brookings, 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+.