Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Talent's standout: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C, 72nd among Oregon's 142 graded towns. 6% of its land is conserved. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $434K for a typical one and 5.9 times the Medford metro’s $74K median household income. Talent’s trail density is 2.2 miles per square mile, against 0.8 in Oregon’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Talent's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 92% of U.S. towns. Talent has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Wagner Creek School and Hanscom Hall.
Where Talent beats most towns.
Where Talent’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Talent is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 6%), so the C overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 278 in 1920, 6,282 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1998 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Talent, 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 Talent.
Talent is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chuck Roberts Park | 0.7 mi | 13 |
| 2. Lynn Newberry Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Joseph Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talent Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 485 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Talent for work: only 5% work in town. Talent’s median household income is $63,000, where Oregon’s towns sit at $81,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. The average trip to work in Talent is 21 minutes.
| Talent | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,523 U.S. towns with household incomes like Talent’s, it is healthier than 91%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Talent beats the Oregon average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 76% of adults had a checkup this year in Talent.
| Talent | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 72% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Talent | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.5% | 12.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Talent has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Talent’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Talent since 1997.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
48% of Talent households own their home. The typical Talent home is worth about $434,000, up 2.1% in a year, 12% below the Oregon typical home.
| Talent | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 48% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,579 a month | $1,413 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Adults 35 to 64 are 34% of residents (39% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 27% of residents (23% statewide). 40% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 37% across Oregon.
| Talent | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 16% | 21% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 27% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.3 years | 39.3 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.8 points. Across Oregon, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Talent | OR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.8% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.4% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.1% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.4% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.7% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.4% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.9% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 13.7% | 22.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.8% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.7% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Reported crimes rose from 67 to 102 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Among 75 Oregon towns, just 3 have a higher violent crime rate than Talent. Within Oregon, it does better than 74% of towns.
| Talent | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.7 per 1,000 residents | 15.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Talent. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Ski areaMount Ashland39 runs · 1,160 ft vertical
32 mi National MonumentOregon Caves National Monument and Preserve64K visitors a year
5 mi GardenLithia Park
6 mi MuseumScienceWorks MuseumMount Ashland: Alex Lockhart, Public domain · Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lithia Park: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · ScienceWorks Museum: Roberto J. Galindo, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Talent
About 7 of every 100 Talent residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oregon.
City in Oregon, United States
Talent is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 6,282 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.
Talent grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #72 of 142 in Oregon. It grades B+ for health, B− for safety and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Oregon, it does better than 74% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
