Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Oregon?
Only a third of Oregonians say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that folks in Oregon don’t really have it too bad in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Oregon cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using Saturday Night Science and data.
After analyzing the 77 largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Beaver State.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Most Miserable Places In Oregon
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Ashland is the happiest place in Oregon.
For more Oregon reading, check out:
The 10 Most Miserable Places In Oregon For 2023
/10
Population: 7,224
Poverty Level: 17.1%
Median Home Price $156,000
Married Households 8.0%
Households With Kids 42.49%
More on Umatilla: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 7,143
Poverty Level: 12.0%
Median Home Price $156,200
Married Households 8.0%
Households With Kids 46.36%
More on Milton-Freewater: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 25,877
Poverty Level: 14.4%
Median Home Price $241,300
Married Households 11.0%
Households With Kids 36.03%
More on Woodburn: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 19,141
Poverty Level: 13.3%
Median Home Price $193,800
Married Households 16.0%
Households With Kids 42.8%
More on Hermiston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
/10
Population: 7,381
Poverty Level: 21.3%
Median Home Price $227,500
Married Households 14.0%
Households With Kids 42.79%
More on Madras: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 9,850
Poverty Level: 9.5%
Median Home Price $260,400
Married Households 16.0%
Households With Kids 39.08%
More on Independence: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 10,060
Poverty Level: 8.2%
Median Home Price $333,900
Married Households 26.0%
Households With Kids 39.36%
More on Molalla: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 12,893
Poverty Level: 10.4%
Median Home Price $330,000
Married Households 11.0%
Households With Kids 35.82%
More on Cornelius: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 9,716
Poverty Level: 17.9%
Median Home Price $177,500
Married Households 20.0%
Households With Kids 30.0%
More on Sweet Home: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In The Beaver State
To rank the unhappiest places in Oregon, we had to determine what criteria make people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress-free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2017-2021 report for the happy criteria, flipped the list with Saturday Night Science, and it spit out the answer.
Like magic.
Here are the criteria we used to measure misery:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of families with kids
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 77 places in Oregon with over 5,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 77 for each of the seven criteria, with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index “earning” the title “Most Miserable City In Oregon.”
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
We updated this article for 2023, and it’s our tenth time ranking the most miserable cities in Oregon.
There You Have It – The Least Happy Cities In Oregon
As we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in Oregon is usually a subjective matter.
But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in Oregon, according to science:
- Ashland
- Corvallis
- Astoria
For more Oregon reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Oregon
- Cheapest Places To Live In Oregon
- Most Dangerous Cities In Oregon
- Richest Cities In Oregon
- Safest Places In Oregon
- Worst Places To Live In Oregon
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Oregon
Miserable Cities In Oregon For 2023
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Level | Median Home Value | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umatilla, OR | 7,224 | 17.1% | $156,000 | 8.0% | 42.49% |
| 2 | Milton-Freewater, OR | 7,143 | 12.0% | $156,200 | 8.0% | 46.36% |
| 3 | Woodburn, OR | 25,877 | 14.4% | $241,300 | 11.0% | 36.03% |
| 4 | Hermiston, OR | 19,141 | 13.3% | $193,800 | 16.0% | 42.8% |
| 5 | St. Helens, OR | 13,808 | 14.3% | $251,000 | 20.0% | 37.27% |
| 6 | Madras, OR | 7,381 | 21.3% | $227,500 | 14.0% | 42.79% |
| 7 | Independence, OR | 9,850 | 9.5% | $260,400 | 16.0% | 39.08% |
| 8 | Molalla, OR | 10,060 | 8.2% | $333,900 | 26.0% | 39.36% |
| 9 | Cornelius, OR | 12,893 | 10.4% | $330,000 | 11.0% | 35.82% |
| 10 | Sweet Home, OR | 9,716 | 17.9% | $177,500 | 20.0% | 30.0% |
| 11 | Eagle Point, OR | 9,600 | 9.4% | $296,600 | 27.0% | 40.75% |
| 12 | Winston, OR | 5,591 | 13.7% | $187,400 | 13.0% | 37.92% |
| 13 | Veneta, OR | 5,199 | 7.2% | $248,600 | 23.0% | 32.86% |
| 14 | Sandy, OR | 12,383 | 7.7% | $347,000 | 24.0% | 47.12% |
| 15 | Tillamook, OR | 5,183 | 15.5% | $201,900 | 14.0% | 33.27% |
| 16 | Lebanon, OR | 18,150 | 15.4% | $221,900 | 20.0% | 28.05% |
| 17 | Ontario, OR | 11,465 | 21.4% | $145,300 | 13.0% | 29.06% |
| 18 | Gresham, OR | 114,164 | 15.1% | $347,600 | 17.0% | 33.68% |
| 19 | Silverton, OR | 10,402 | 9.7% | $344,000 | 22.0% | 34.51% |
| 20 | The Dalles, OR | 15,942 | 9.5% | $238,500 | 17.0% | 29.28% |
| 21 | Cottage Grove, OR | 10,569 | 21.3% | $236,000 | 18.0% | 32.78% |
| 22 | Stayton, OR | 8,199 | 9.4% | $310,700 | 29.0% | 38.62% |
| 23 | Redmond, OR | 33,160 | 7.8% | $319,900 | 21.0% | 31.35% |
| 24 | Brookings, OR | 6,706 | 8.6% | $331,000 | 12.0% | 22.24% |
| 25 | Pendleton, OR | 16,861 | 15.5% | $206,100 | 19.0% | 34.36% |
| 26 | Springfield, OR | 62,138 | 16.0% | $250,800 | 19.0% | 31.7% |
| 27 | Grants Pass, OR | 38,902 | 16.4% | $281,300 | 11.0% | 32.1% |
| 28 | Prineville, OR | 10,611 | 13.9% | $235,900 | 29.0% | 26.85% |
| 29 | Hillsboro, OR | 105,909 | 7.8% | $386,700 | 12.0% | 32.95% |
| 30 | Troutdale, OR | 16,353 | 7.9% | $351,500 | 22.0% | 38.95% |
| 31 | Warrenton, OR | 6,123 | 5.7% | $289,700 | 15.0% | 30.39% |
| 32 | Klamath Falls, OR | 21,710 | 23.0% | $203,800 | 13.0% | 28.25% |
| 33 | Albany, OR | 55,776 | 11.1% | $271,100 | 21.0% | 31.22% |
| 34 | West Linn, OR | 27,173 | 4.7% | $572,000 | 15.0% | 37.15% |
| 35 | Salem, OR | 174,193 | 14.7% | $289,500 | 16.0% | 31.97% |
| 36 | Scappoose, OR | 7,871 | 4.0% | $339,800 | 28.0% | 34.2% |
| 37 | Newberg, OR | 25,108 | 8.8% | $357,900 | 16.0% | 33.82% |
| 38 | Coos Bay, OR | 15,921 | 15.7% | $211,900 | 16.0% | 22.83% |
| 39 | Junction City, OR | 6,718 | 12.6% | $247,000 | 23.0% | 27.0% |
| 40 | Dallas, OR | 16,663 | 14.5% | $276,800 | 22.0% | 27.03% |
| 41 | Keizer, OR | 39,119 | 10.4% | $300,700 | 21.0% | 33.72% |
| 42 | Central Point, OR | 18,948 | 9.6% | $293,500 | 23.0% | 35.25% |
| 43 | Happy Valley, OR | 23,442 | 4.0% | $559,300 | 19.0% | 43.69% |
| 44 | Forest Grove, OR | 25,767 | 10.4% | $370,900 | 17.0% | 33.44% |
| 45 | Creswell, OR | 5,625 | 6.0% | $283,100 | 33.0% | 44.85% |
| 46 | Wilsonville, OR | 25,887 | 9.5% | $464,100 | 14.0% | 29.38% |
| 47 | La Grande, OR | 13,212 | 19.6% | $187,400 | 21.0% | 30.88% |
| 48 | Oregon City, OR | 37,160 | 6.0% | $411,500 | 25.0% | 33.53% |
| 49 | Sherwood, OR | 20,281 | 4.3% | $454,400 | 18.0% | 44.36% |
| 50 | Hood River, OR | 8,210 | 8.5% | $433,400 | 8.0% | 31.36% |
| 51 | Lake Oswego, OR | 40,390 | 4.2% | $691,700 | 15.0% | 31.43% |
| 52 | Monmouth, OR | 10,735 | 23.4% | $279,700 | 15.0% | 34.31% |
| 53 | Medford, OR | 84,894 | 14.6% | $307,200 | 15.0% | 31.17% |
| 54 | Tigard, OR | 54,750 | 6.7% | $456,500 | 18.0% | 31.24% |
| 55 | Seaside, OR | 7,058 | 11.1% | $339,600 | 14.0% | 15.55% |
| 56 | Fairview, OR | 10,439 | 12.1% | $328,600 | 18.0% | 20.6% |
| 57 | Portland, OR | 647,176 | 12.6% | $462,800 | 10.0% | 23.28% |
| 58 | Sutherlin, OR | 8,429 | 14.7% | $188,100 | 19.0% | 23.1% |
| 59 | Newport, OR | 10,305 | 14.1% | $299,300 | 10.0% | 20.27% |
| 60 | Philomath, OR | 5,353 | 6.0% | $278,500 | 23.0% | 30.49% |
| 61 | Florence, OR | 9,353 | 13.0% | $269,300 | 12.0% | 14.51% |
| 62 | Milwaukie, OR | 21,108 | 9.1% | $388,700 | 20.0% | 27.28% |
| 63 | Canby, OR | 18,078 | 9.2% | $385,700 | 24.0% | 35.46% |
| 64 | Roseburg, OR | 23,551 | 17.3% | $214,900 | 14.0% | 28.4% |
| 65 | Beaverton, OR | 97,466 | 10.2% | $419,600 | 11.0% | 27.01% |
| 66 | Eugene, OR | 173,278 | 19.6% | $337,200 | 11.0% | 23.26% |
| 67 | Baker City, OR | 9,998 | 15.1% | $169,500 | 24.0% | 24.91% |
| 68 | North Bend, OR | 10,224 | 18.8% | $254,700 | 19.0% | 28.08% |
| 69 | Tualatin, OR | 27,821 | 10.2% | $466,200 | 17.0% | 32.74% |
| 70 | Talent, OR | 6,256 | 18.3% | $246,900 | 9.0% | 26.6% |
| 71 | Mcminnville, OR | 34,224 | 17.9% | $311,500 | 14.0% | 29.8% |
| 72 | Lincoln City, OR | 9,655 | 14.4% | $279,900 | 12.0% | 20.81% |
| 73 | Gladstone, OR | 12,017 | 16.2% | $365,100 | 21.0% | 25.7% |
| 74 | Bend, OR | 97,042 | 10.0% | $462,400 | 13.0% | 30.61% |
| 75 | Astoria, OR | 10,166 | 12.5% | $330,700 | 16.0% | 20.65% |
| 76 | Corvallis, OR | 59,407 | 25.6% | $387,200 | 7.0% | 20.75% |
| 77 | Ashland, OR | 21,348 | 16.2% | $494,700 | 5.0% | 15.97% |
Monmouth does not need to be on this list. Monmouth is a beautiful town with a lot to offer..but it is in fact a college town. The numbers are going to be drastically lower in the categories your looking for because of that. I’ve lived in Monmouth\ independence my entire life and you will not find a better town in Oregon. The people are friendly, the crime rate is much lower than the other towns listed, it’s a cute little town and is townies are happy as clams with it.
Survey comes out of Durham, NC .That tells me alot about this worthless article! I lived in Eugene, Bend, Lakeview, La Grande and Clay Creek (Oregon coastal mountains) I have friends in Springfield, Portland and Yachats. All these areas are fantastic places and I enjoyed living there very much. I would take any of Oregon’s towns over where I live now. Had to move to So Cal for work but my heart is still in Oregon. The people there are happy, mellow and friendly! More than I can say for the jerks I deal with in So Cal although my desert city of Hesperia is rural and pretty nice. In my opinion this article is stupid and I had to chime in! By the way GO DUCKS!
Sheridan is right where it should be, #3, though I would have put it at #1. I lived there for 6 years. If your looking for meth users and the thievery that comes with it Sheridan is the place to go. Management and operations at the city hall is a pathetic joke and are unfriendly and uncooperative, especially if you rent. If you don’t want your things stolen rent a storage unit NOT located in Sheridan or bolt it down and strip the bolt heads (Did I mention the thieves?). At one time Sheridan was a nice place, then the lumber mills shutdown and anyone with money left. The people left are either commuters who aren’t interested, welfare families and single pregnant teenage girls (with and without previous children), teenage boys with no jobs and no opportunities and it has one of the worst public school systems in the state. While located in a very beautiful spot tucked away in the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, it’s dying. Sheridan’s one saving grace is the Sheridan Japanese School, an excellent, top notch 4-12 charter school that is very challenging and relatively selective public charter school. Unfortunately, school district resents the school, probably for blowing them out of the water when it comes to academic excellence and the Japanese School gets treated like the ugly step child, when the school district should be using the Japanese School as a benchmark to overcome their own woeful deficiencies.
just cause a person dont have a collage degree isn’t married or doesn’t own their home does not mean they are miserable because of it
*doesn’t
*college
Just because you have a miserable life in Sheridan does not make the town an awful place. Like any other town on Earth Sheridan has its good and bad. Your bad experience with the city hall and the other people in our community isn’t typical by any means! What is typical is that in any community there are trash talkiing know it alls like Hinge here who seem to know the problems but refuse to to take action to better or community! If you don’t like to town Hinge Weilher then you know the roads out of town because the town folk of Sheridan don’t want or need people such as yourself! You could very easily point out what you think is wrong but have you looked at what was right and beautiful? No? Bet its because you are in fact just a MISERABLE person. Do us all a big favor and keep your big fat mud flaps closed and or leave!
How come Salem is not number one with any doubt????????? Lived there for 8 years. Complete hell hole. Even the homeless people have their own special hell called UGM. Ran by religious right wing bigots. Back in Portland now and I would NEVER go the 44 miles south to Salem again
I think there is an error is saying the list is based on cities of 2000 people or more. Based on the number of missing towns, including my hometown, my guess is that you meant 4000.
Lmao I think this list is accurate. Just because you chose to see only the good things does not mean bad doesn’t exist. Calm down u defensive animals
I can see where Salem would be on this list. It’s sad that the city can’t take care of the homeless situation. Nice they are building a new police station and renovating North Salem High School but, can’t come up with a viable solution for the homeless like converting shipping containers into shelters on one of the many empty lots around town, getting mental health ect., to that population.
an unfair survey, what they used for data is stupid…Not everyone has to go to college to be successful and there are many wealthy farmers In Oregon. living in Oregon is like being on vacation every day. unless you live in Portland or Eugene ..Most places in Oregon experience light traffic and travel times…and in every town on this list near 50% of the population own their own homes or farms…oh wait they for got to tell you about the farmers… I am pretty sure whoever wrote this hasn’t even lived in Oregon…so they shouldn’t be judging it… ask the people in those town how they feel about their homes