What it's like to live in Prineville
Prineville is a small city in Oregon with crime rates well below the national average and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Prineville deals with home prices well above the national average, county unemployment above the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, and larger class sizes than the national average.
The good
- Low crime rates
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold winters
How Prineville compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Prineville
Based on Prineville's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,710
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $54,200 a year
- 51% of Prineville renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$85,180
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $42,590
- Homes cost 5.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,355/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,355 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 $425,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $425,900 · 51% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Crook County is 5.8%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Crook County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 34% below US
241 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 747/100k · Prineville Police Department · 2024 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.8 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°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 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 55% 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
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. 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 John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (53 miles away).
Bottom line
Prineville's strongest points are crime rates well below the national average and a population that has grown fast since 2020; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and county unemployment above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,355/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up.
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