Shady cove city hall, 2010
Shady Cove’s story
87 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,097 in 1980, 3,081 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 2 maps from 1943 on.
- 1939Shady Cove is settled
Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
3,039
2025 Census estimate · −1.4% since 2020
Typical home
$417K
−0.4% in a year
Household income
$57K
median
Median age
56.5
years
Jobs based here
331
A commuter town
TownGrade
D−
#132 of 142 in OR
Is Shady Cove a good place to live?
Shady Cove earns a D−, 132nd among Oregon's 142 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $57K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 77% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, it is more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns. Shady Cove’s median age is 56.5 years, against 39.3 years in Oregon’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. On history, just 16 of Oregon’s 228 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Shady Cove for work
Where Shady Cove’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
331jobs based in Shady Cove
6%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Shady Cove grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Shady Cove is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →Jobs & incomeDOpen →HealthProvidence Medford Medical Center 18.5 miles awayC−Open →Cost of livingCOpen →SchoolsCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.1 of 20; 7.2% of households have no car; 3.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Shady Cove: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shady Cove, and how to reach them.
PowerPacific Power15.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHiland Wc - Shady Cove water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers90% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpHire your ownNo town pickup: you hire a private haulerTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn Oregon you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereJackson County Clerk, Elections OfficeJackson County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code9753997539 100%Census 2020
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 Shady Cove.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Shady Cove faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Since 1981, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shady Cove.
89risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireEarthquakes
5
paid flood claims since 1981
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsC
Shady Cove’s public schools trail 70% of Oregon districts
Its public schools are run by Eagle Point SD 9. Its one school is below.
30%of OR districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shady Cove SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 183 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
A larger share of adults in Shady Cove have diabetes than in the typical Oregon or U.S. town
Against the 8,037 U.S. towns with household incomes like Shady Cove’s, it is less healthy than 60%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of Shady Cove adults have diabetes. Among 142 Oregon towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Shady Cove. 27% of Shady Cove adults have been diagnosed with depression.
23%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Shady Cove | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 20% | 19% |
26 measures vs. Oregon
4 better8 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Shady Cove | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.1% | 15.4% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.5% | 71.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.9% | 6.8% |
Providence Medford Medical Center
18.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
12th
percentile among OR towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Shady Cove has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Shady Cove for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Shady Cove grew to 331 in 2023, 54 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Medford (33%), Central Point (5%) and Eagle Point (4%).
6%work in town
| Shady Cove | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.4% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Shady Cove6%
Medford33%
Central Point5%
Eagle Point4%
Grants Pass3%
19 mi
median commute distance
331
jobs based in Shady Cove
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Shady Cove has mild winters and hot summers
Shady Cove has mild winters and warm summers. The July high in Shady Cove is 91°F.
1″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter32–50°
Spring39–66°
Summer51–87°
Fall41–69°
Oct 17
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade C
A typical Shady Cove home is worth about $417K
The typical Shady Cove home is worth about $417,000, about the same as a year ago, 15% below the Oregon typical home. Shady Cove’s median rent is $1,110 a month.
$417KZillow home value
| Shady Cove | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,110 a month | $1,415 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 65% | 73% |
Typical home value
Shady Cove$417K
Oregon$493K
−0.4%
value change, 1 year
4
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsC
Shady Cove has set aside 5% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
5%conserved
5%
conserved · 65 of 1,307 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Upper Rogue Regional County Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Shady Cove
18pages on Shady Cove
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Shady Cove; the nearest are
Pacific Bible CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Medford19.5 mi$7,168 tuitionSouthern Oregon UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Ashland29.7 mi$12,762 in-state tuitionRogue Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Grants Pass32.1 mi$5,256 in-state tuition
About 5 of every 100 Shady Cove residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oregon.
About Shady Cove
City in the United States
Shady Cove is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Shady Cove had a population of 3,081.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1972
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,407 ft
- ZIP code
- 97539
- Area code
- 541
Questions about Shady Cove
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shady Cove, OR a good place to live?
Shady Cove grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #132 of 142 in Oregon. It grades C− for health and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Shady Cove, OR expensive?
That is 5.6 years of the area's median household income ($73,999 across the Medford, 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.