What it's like to live in Milwaukie
Milwaukie is a small city in Oregon with air quality that stays clean most of the year and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Milwaukie 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 good
- Clean air
- Highly educated workforce
The not so good
- High home prices
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Milwaukie compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Milwaukie
Based on Milwaukie's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,196
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $63,920 a year
- 59% of Milwaukie renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$101,020
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $50,510
- Homes cost 5.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 13% above US
$1,598/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,598 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are steep, with a median around $505,100. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $505,100 · 59% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Clackamas County is 4.9%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Clackamas County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 15% below US
281 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 1610/100k · Milwaukie Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 25% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 78°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 38°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▲ 15% above US
42% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 42% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
8 public schools inside the boundary
There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (12 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Milwaukie's strongest points are air quality that stays clean most of the year and a highly educated workforce; 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 ($1,598/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (25% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals.
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