What it's like to live in Ontario
Ontario is a small city in Oregon with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Ontario deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- Cold winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Ontario compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Ontario
Based on Ontario's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,608
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $32,160 a year
- 36% of Ontario renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$47,260
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $23,630
- Homes cost 5.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 43% below US
$804/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $804 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $236,300. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $236,300 · 36% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.7% county unemployment
Unemployment in Malheur County is 4.7%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Malheur County (county-wide)
Safety▲ 34% above US
442 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 3965/100k · Ontario Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 45% below US
14 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 14.2 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 89°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 24°F and snow a regular occurrence. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 56% below US
16% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Bottom line
Ontario's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($804/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes.
Other places near Ontario
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