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Place dossier plate
SheetOR-ELGIN-OR · Elgin, OR 1,592 pop · income 25th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Elgin
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Elgin on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Tonto Basin · lowest
50,871
Tonto Basin · lowest
50,871 median HH income
27.9% of the leader · rank #1
Elgin · this city
53,750
Elgin · this city
53,750 median HH income
29.5% of the leader · rank #2
Ehrenberg · near
53,750
Ehrenberg · near
53,750 median HH income
29.5% of the leader · rank #3
Le Grand · near
53,750
Le Grand · near
53,750 median HH income
29.5% of the leader · rank #4
Ellaville · near
53,750
Ellaville · near
53,750 median HH income
29.5% of the leader · rank #5
Clay City · near
53,750
Clay City · near
53,750 median HH income
29.5% of the leader · rank #6
Stafford · highest
182,372
Stafford · highest
182,372 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Elgin on ACS population and median household income
. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 1,592.
Elgin ranks in the 25th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
25th
percentile, household income
37th
percentile, home value
66th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Elgin, OR
1,592 people live in Elgin, Oregon - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $53,750 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 6.0%. Elgin's housing stock carries a median value of $180,900, and the median resident age is 37.2 years. About 9.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 52.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
NOAA puts Elgin's yearly average temperature at 48.1°F with 25.9 inches of precipitation per year.
Oregon carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Oregon at 103.4 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Above Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,425 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $185 across Oregon, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in Elgin report an average commute of 22.7 minutes, with 81.8% driving alone and 2.9% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 63.4 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Elgin's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from schools and households to comparison shortlist to housing and income to work and mobility to climate and hazard context to population change; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Elgin, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Elgin?
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 9.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Which cities make useful reference points for Elgin?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.
Within Oregon, the closest population matches are Prineville Lake Acres (1,589 residents, $67,216 income); Rockaway Beach (1,577 residents, $55,188 income); Stafford (1,572 residents, $182,372 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Somonauk, IL (1,592 residents); Breckinridge Center, KY (1,592 residents); Naval Academy, MD (1,592 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
How far does income reach against housing in Elgin?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 6.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 81.8%. The reported mean trip to work is 22.7 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Elgin?
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 48.1°F, with 25.9 inches of precipitation. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Oregon is 63.4 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
FEMA risk index (state avg)
63.4
Annual precipitation
25.9 in
Mean temperature
48.1°F
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -25 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -1.5% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
2020 estimate
1,714
2025 estimate
1,689
Period change
-1.5%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
Below median income · poverty 6.0% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
103.4 (US=100)
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Oregon average
F
City profile score · Elgin, OR
30/100
4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate C
6.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$53,750
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Cost of living F
103.4 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
9.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Elgin profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 59/100 (C) · 6.0%
Household income: 25/100 (F) · $53,750
Cost of living: 25/100 (F) · 103.4 index
Bachelor's+ share: 5/100 (F) · 9.3%
How does Elgin compare to other US cities?
Here's how Elgin stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income25% higher than other cities
Home value37% pricier than other cities
Median rent66% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Elgin against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Oregon only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Oregon-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Elgin near the bottom of Oregon's cities
Among the 395 Oregon cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Elgin ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Elgin only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#286 of 364
21st percentile in Oregon
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 395
0th percentile in Oregon
Median Home Value
#333 of 366
9th percentile in Oregon
Poverty Rate
#206 of 395
47th percentile in Oregon
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#351 of 395
11th percentile in Oregon
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Oregon only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
25th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Elgin's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$180,900Among the most affordablemore affordable than 63% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Elgin's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,417 of 15,516
More affordable than 46% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#6,854 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.4×, Elgin sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,417 of 15,516 and #6,854 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$53,750Elgin, OR median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Elgin, OR median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Elgin, OR.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)9.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)6.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,592
Median Income
$53,750
Median Home Value
$180,900
Median Age
37.2
Poverty Rate
6.0%
Labor force participation
52.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
9.3%
Climate
Avg Temperature
48.1°F
Annual Precipitation
25.9"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Elgin's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,714 residents
2021
1,724 residents
2022
1,699 residents
2023
1,691 residents
2024
1,691 residents
2025
1,689 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
22.7 minutes
Drive Alone
81.8%
Carpool
5.7%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
3.3%
Work from Home
2.9%
Other
6.3%
Based on 628 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Oregon statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $185
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Oregon at $185 (electricity about $85 , water and sewer about $50 ).
These are Oregon statewide averages, not a meter reading for Elgin. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Oregon's BEA cost-of-living index is 103.4 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Elgin is $1,425/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Oregon statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 63.4 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Oregon statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Elgin sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Elgin compares to similar-size Oregon cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.