RufusOR
A town of 292, settled in 1886.
Is Rufus a good place to live?
Rufus’ average trip to work is 12 minutes, against 23 minutes in Oregon’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Of the 143 Oregon towns we compare, none has a lower median household income than Rufus. Rufus has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
292 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Rufus: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rufus, 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 Rufus.
Rufus faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by wildfire
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 83% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Compared with most of Oregon and the rest of the country, more of Rufus’ residents live below the poverty line
25% of residents live below the poverty line in Rufus, where Oregon’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Most working residents leave Rufus for work: only 5% work in town. The top destinations are The Dalles (15%), Moro (10%) and Portland (6%).
| Rufus | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 9.8% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Rufus, expect four seasons and hot summers
Rufus has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Rufus is 88°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Rufus is
Rufus beats the Oregon average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 17% of Rufus adults report frequent physical distress.
| Rufus | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 20% | 19% |
| What stands out | Rufus | OR |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.1% | 12.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.8% |
| More smokers | 15.6% | 12% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Rufus
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Rufus; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Rufus residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
95% of working residents leave Rufus for work
Where Rufus’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Rufus
City in Oregon, United States
Rufus is a city in Sherman County, Oregon, United States. The population was 268 at the 2020 census. The city was named for an early settler, Rufus Carrol Wallis. The city is bordered on the northern side by the Columbia River and the John Day Dam. Rufus is located in the high desert and has wildlife such as porcupines, coyotes, ground squirrels, deer, hummingbirds, ospreys, and kestrels. The city has a gas station, post office, tackle shop, market, two restaurants and two hotels. Rufus is also home to Giles French waterfront park and a no-fee boat launch on the Columbia River. Rufus is also home to archaeological site 35SH119, where various Native American groups quarried petrified wood an…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1965
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 235 ft
- ZIP code
- 97050
- Area code
- 541
Questions about Rufus
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Rufus, OR a good place to live?
Rufus has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.