Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,412, settled in 1874. 86% more nonprofits per person than the typical Oregon town.
Vernonia’s best subject grade is an A for civic life; its weakest is a D− for hazard risk. Vernonia’s average trip to work is 40 minutes, against 23 minutes in Oregon’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 7 of Oregon’s 228 towns do worse. Oregon-American Lumber Company Mill Office is on the National Register of Historic Places. Vernonia has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Vernonia beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
2,151 counted in 2010 and 2,374 in 2020; an estimated 2,412 in 2025.
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 Vernonia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 62 in 1900, a low of 62 in 1900, 2,374 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers and 3 maps from 1940 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Vernonia, 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 Vernonia.
At 97 of 100, Vernonia’s FEMA risk score is where Oregon’s towns sit at 64 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Since 1995, 218 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Vernonia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by Vernonia SD 47J. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernonia Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 206 | D |
| Vernonia High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 178 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Vernonia for work: only 12% work in town. The top destinations are Hillsboro (19%), Portland (16%) and Beaverton (4%). Half commute less than 28 miles.
| Vernonia | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 10% | 14% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Vernonia home is worth about $386,000, down 1.3% in a year, 22% below the Oregon typical home. 77% of Vernonia households own their home.
| Vernonia | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,180 a month | $1,414 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Vernonia has mild winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Vernonia is 77°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Vernonia beats the Oregon average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 71% of adults had a checkup this year in Vernonia.
| Vernonia | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 72% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Vernonia | OR |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 16.3% | 12% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.8% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 19.5% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.8 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. Vernonia’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile. Among 141 Oregon towns, just 8 have a lower share of conserved land than Vernonia.
| Vernonia | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Vernonia Lake City Park | 0.3 mi | 55 |
| 2. Old Mill Area | 0.2 mi | 56 |
| 3. Spencer Park | — | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Vernonia; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Vernonia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
Where Vernonia’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Oregon, United States
Vernonia is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It is located on the Nehalem River, in a valley on the eastern side of the Northern Oregon Coast Range that is the heart of one of the most important timber-producing areas of the state. Logging has played a large role in the history of the city. The population was 2,374 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.
86% more nonprofits per person than the typical Oregon town.
That is 4 years of the area's median household income ($97,436 across the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 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+.
2 notable people were born here, including George Amick and Gil Bergerson.