What it's like to live in Gresham
Gresham is a mid-size city in Oregon. The numbers below lay out what daily life there actually looks like.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Gresham deals with home prices well above the national average, larger class sizes than the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The not so good
- High home prices
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Gresham compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Gresham
Based on Gresham's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,172
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $63,440 a year
- 56% of Gresham renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$91,740
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $45,870
- Homes cost 5.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 12% above US
$1,586/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,586 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $458,700. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $458,700 · 56% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 23% above US
5.3% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.3%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
SafetyNear US average
362 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2340/100k · Gresham Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 13% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 37°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 35% below US
23% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
27 public schools inside the boundary
There are 27 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (14 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Nothing in Gresham's numbers stands out as a clear strength, and the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,586/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. Whether it fits comes down to the specifics: the neighborhood, the job, and what matters most in the move.
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