City profile · Oregon · Census ACS 2023

Saunders Lake, OR

Saunders Lake's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

1,495
Residents
$87,750
Median income
$396,500
Median home
$1,425
Median rent (state)
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Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.

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Starting with Saunders Lake, OR - add up to three more cities on the compare page.

See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Saunders Lake.

Place dossier plate

Sheet OR-SAUNDERS-LAKE-OR · Saunders Lake, OR 1,495 pop · income 69th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-HIGH · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-MID · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 1,495
  • INC-HIGH $87,750
  • COL-PAR 103.4
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-UPPER 69th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Galva
  • HOME-MID $396,500
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Galva, KS (+ $0 income $)

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 Saunders Lake

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Saunders Lake on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Saunders Lake 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: 1,495.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $87,750. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Saunders Lake - the verdict

Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Saunders Lake places in the 69th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

69th
percentile, household income
77th
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: Saunders Lake, OR

1,495 people live in Saunders Lake, Oregon - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $87,750 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 17.9%. Typical homes in Saunders Lake are valued around $396,500, and the median resident age is 42.6 years. Educational attainment runs 37.2% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 50.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Oregon carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 103.4 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,425 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Oregon's average monthly utility costs around $185 (state average). Commute times here average 26.1 minutes, with 90.2% driving alone and 3.7% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 63.4 out of 100 (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Saunders Lake'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 comparison shortlist to housing and income to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Saunders Lake, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for Saunders Lake?

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 Glide (1,481 residents, $81,034 income); Ruch (1,475 residents, $81,591 income); Cascade Locks (1,529 residents, $65,357 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Covelo, CA (1,495 residents); Mineville, NY (1,495 residents); Kyle, SD (1,495 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

2. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in Saunders Lake?

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. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 17.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 3

What does the journey to work look like in Saunders Lake?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 90.2%. The reported mean trip to work is 26.1 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. The profile is strongly car-oriented, so a relocation comparison should put trip distance, vehicle access, and household fuel costs ahead of a citywide commute average. The same-state peer links offer a more relevant benchmark than a national label.

Compare commute patterns →

Population

1,495 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$87,750 /yr

Above median income · poverty 17.9% (High poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

103.4 (US=100)

Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Oregon average

City profile score · Saunders Lake, OR

45/100

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.

Bachelor's+ share B
37.2%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Household income B-
$87,750

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.

Poverty rate F
17.9%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Saunders Lake profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Bachelor's+ share, Household income, Cost of living, Poverty rate. Bachelor's+ shareHousehold incomeCost of livingPoverty rate 45 D
Saunders Lake profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Bachelor's+ share: 70/100 (B) · 37.2%
  • Household income: 67/100 (B-) · $87,750
  • Cost of living: 25/100 (F) · 103.4 index
  • Poverty rate: 17/100 (F) · 17.9%

How does Saunders Lake compare to other US cities?

Where Saunders Lake sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 69% higher than other cities
Home value 77% pricier than other cities
Median rent 66% 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 Saunders Lake 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 Saunders Lake near the bottom of Oregon's cities

Among the 395 Oregon cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Saunders Lake ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Saunders Lake only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#99 of 364
73rd percentile in Oregon
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 395
0th percentile in Oregon
Median Home Value
#140 of 366
62nd percentile in Oregon
Poverty Rate
#40 of 395
90th percentile in Oregon
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#79 of 395
80th 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.

69thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

69th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Saunders Lake's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$396,500 23rd percentile more affordable than 23% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). This entry sits in this band. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Saunders Lake $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Saunders Lake's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.5×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#12,014 of 15,516
More affordable than 23% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,203 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 4.5×, Saunders Lake sits in the moderate band: national rank #12,014 of 15,516 and #9,203 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

$87,750 Saunders Lake, OR median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Saunders Lake, OR Saunders Lake, OR's median household income ($87,750) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Saunders Lake, OR-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Saunders Lake, OR median $87,750/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Saunders Lake, 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 Saunders Lake, OR.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 37.2%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 17.9%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 50.2%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
1,495
Median Income
$87,750
Median Home Value
$396,500
Median Age
42.6
Poverty Rate
17.9%
Labor force participation
50.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
37.2%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
26.1 minutes
Drive Alone
90.2%
Carpool
6.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
3.7%

Based on 488 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 Saunders Lake. 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 Saunders Lake 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 Saunders Lake sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Saunders Lake 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.

City Population Median Household Income
Saunders Lake (this city) 1,495 $87,750
Glide 1,481 $81,034
Ruch 1,475 $81,591
Cascade Locks 1,529 $65,357
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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