Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Prineville grades C+ overall, ranked 57th of 142 in Oregon, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 87% of Oregon towns on state tests and graduation and it has 29 miles of trail. On the other side, the median household income is $73K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. Prineville’s trail density is 2.3 miles per square mile, where Oregon’s towns sit at 0.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Prineville is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. Prineville has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Lamonta Compound-Prineville Supervisor's Warehouse and Thomas M. Baldwin House.
Where Prineville beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Crooked River Elementary School | K–5 | 553 |
| Barnes Butte Elementary | K–5 | 510 |
| Steins Pillar Elementary | K–5 | 267 |
9,253 counted in 2010 and 10,736 in 2020; an estimated 11,994 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.8% since 2020, after 16% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Prineville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 460 in 1890, 10,736 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 2 maps from 1962 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Prineville, 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 Prineville.
Prineville has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Bend and other neighbors.
Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint, at 265 acres with 3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 29 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Prineville: 16, covering 381 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint | 3 mi | 265 |
| 2. Crook County High School Outdoor Sports Complex | 1.3 mi | 17 |
| 3. Crooked River Park | 0.8 mi | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Two of its 12 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Its public schools are run by Crook County SD. Public school enrollment in Prineville: 2,106 students across 5 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crook County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 616 | B− |
| Crook County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 842 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
The Prineville weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 113 days, shorter than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average 25.1°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 81% of Oregon places with climate records; July afternoons average 87°.
About 9 inches of snow falls in a winter. The town’s July high stands at 87°F, above both Oregon’s towns (82°F) and U.S. towns (85°F). Its January low stands at 25°F.
| Prineville | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 87°F | 82°F | 85°F |
| January low | 25°F | 36°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Households in Prineville have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2003. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 66% of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 37 claims in the town since 1998.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Prineville has about as many jobs (5,410) as working residents, but only 1,387 people both live and work here.
The top destinations are Bend (16%), Redmond (11%) and Portland (6%). Roughly one working resident in three has a job in Prineville itself. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 754, to 5,410. Half the trips to work are shorter than 24 miles.
| Prineville | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 9.5% | 8% |
| Work from home | 10% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A home in Prineville typically sold within 53 days of listing. 60% of Prineville households own their home. In Prineville, just over a quarter of sales closed above the list price.
| Prineville | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,355 a month | $1,415 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
29 violent crimes were reported in 2024. Prineville’s level of property crime stands at 7.3 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Prineville | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 7.3 per 1,000 residents | 19 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
31% of adults in Prineville sleep under 7 hours; 73% had a checkup this year. The share of adults in Prineville who have been diagnosed with depression: 28%.
| Prineville | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 72% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Prineville | OR |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16% | 12.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4% | 3.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Prineville; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Prineville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
11.4% of the town is conserved land, across 16 parks and preserves.
5 places in Prineville on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Prineville.
City in Oregon, United States
Prineville is a city in and the county seat of Crook County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the first merchant to establish businesses in the present location, Barney Prine. The population was 10,429 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Prineville.
| Town | OR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prineville | #57 | C+ | C | — | A | C+ |
| Juniper Canyon | #31 | B | B | — | A | B− |
Prineville and Juniper Canyon report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Prineville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Prineville grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #57 of 142 in Oregon. It grades C+ for health and A for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.8 years of the area's median household income ($89,788 across the Bend, OR metro 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.
7 notable people were born here, including Bill Pearl and Dan Gauthier.
