What it's like to live in Silverton
Silverton is a small city in Oregon with crime rates well below the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, 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. Silverton deals with home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Low crime rates
- Clean air
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- High rent burden for renters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Silverton compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Silverton
Based on Silverton's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,160
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $63,200 a year
- 51% of Silverton renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$96,960
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $48,480
- Homes cost 6.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 12% above US
$1,580/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,580 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 $484,800. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $484,800 · 51% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Marion County is 5.0%, 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.
Marion County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 50% below US
198 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 1393/100k · Silverton Police Department · 2022 data
Getting around▲ 13% above US
29 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.4 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; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 77°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 35°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. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
33% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 33% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (43 miles away).
Bottom line
Silverton's strongest points are crime rates well below the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and commute times longer than most cities. A year of median rent ($1,580/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and remote workers (15% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Silverton
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