Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The Dalles earns a D−, 136th among Oregon's 142 graded towns, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its crime rate is higher than 85% of U.S. towns, with 41 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $63K, and 11% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 79% of U.S. towns. 41% of working residents work locally in The Dalles, above both the Oregon town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Joseph D. and Margaret Kelly House and US Post Office.
Where The Dalles beats most towns.
Fort Dalles Surgeon's Quarters
Census counts: 802 in 1860, 16,010 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1859 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
23 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far The Dalles is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in The Dalles, 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 The Dalles.
The Dalles has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings and has commutes shorter than most of Oregon.
Reported crimes fell from 571 to 465 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The rate of thefts and burglaries for The Dalles comes to 26.7 per 1,000 residents. The Dalles’ rate of reported violence comes in at 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| The Dalles | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.7 per 1,000 residents | 15.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Two of its 7 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is The Dalles High School, with 795 students. North Wasco County SD 21 runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dalles Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 513 | C− |
| The Dalles High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 795 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
The Dalles: 23% of adults say their health is fair or poor. In The Dalles, 72% of adults had a checkup this year, and 31% sleep under 7 hours.
| The Dalles | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 73% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | The Dalles | OR |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 12.2% | 8.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.2% | 12.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The range runs from 31° on a January night to 88° on a July afternoon, with about 6 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In The Dalles, the typical rent is $993 a month. Values rose 2.3% in the 12 months to September 2026. 63% of households are owner-occupiers in the town.
| The Dalles | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $993 a month | $1,415 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Dalles’ natural-hazard score from FEMA stands at 66 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 56% come from inland flooding and 19% from earthquakes. 3 flood insurance claims have been paid in the town since 1996.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 7,047 working residents takes 16.5 minutes, against 23 across Oregon.
The top destinations are Portland (8%), Hood River (7%) and Salem (2%). In The Dalles, the average trip to work is 17 minutes. Half commute less than 16 miles. The share of workers in The Dalles who work from home: 7.4%.
| The Dalles | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 14% | 11% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Count the trails in 11 parks and preserves and they come to 3.2 miles. The biggest park or preserve is Riverfront Park, at 64 acres. For The Dalles, the trail network density is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| The Dalles | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.9% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sorosis Park | 0.9 mi | 32 |
| 2. Seufert County Park | 0.3 mi | 11 |
| 3. Lewis and Clark Festival Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around The Dalles. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi MountainMount Hood
32 mi Canyon & gorgeColumbia River Gorge
38 mi DamBonneville Dam
15 mi MuseumMaryhill Museum of Art
31 mi National forestMount Hood National Forest31 mi Ski areaMt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort94 runs · 2,775 ft verticalMount Hood: Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory., Public domain · Columbia River Gorge: Hux, Public domain · Bonneville Dam: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain · Maryhill Museum of Art: Cacophony, CC BY 3.0 · Mount Hood National Forest: Andy Barrett (User:Big Smooth), CC BY 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of The Dalles
About 5 of every 100 The Dalles residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oregon.
13,620 counted in 2010 and 16,010 in 2020; an estimated 15,745 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
23 places in The Dalles on the National Register of Historic Places.
22 notable people were born in The Dalles.
City in the United States
The Dalles ( DALZ), formally the City of the Dalles and also called Dalles City, is an inland port, the county seat of and the largest city in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city in Oregon along the Columbia River outside the Portland Metropolitan Area. The Dalles is 75 miles (121 km) east of Portland, within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with The Dalles.
| Town | OR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dalles | #136 | D− | C− | C− | C− | C |
| Chenoweth | — | — | B | — | C− | C− |
Chenoweth has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Chenoweth reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare The Dalles with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
The Dalles grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #136 of 142 in Oregon. It grades C for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. That is 6.1 years of the area's median household income ($64,175 across the The Dalles, 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−.
22 notable people were born here, including Greg Walden and Virginia Admiral.
