City · Harney County, Oregon

Burns, Oregon

Burns is a city in Harney County, Oregon. It has 2,723 residents. Burns, Oregon has a quality-of-life score of 34 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,354 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Oregon it ranks #168 of 227 cities and towns. It ranks best on mental health providers (high), time spent in the emergency room (low) and median Air Quality Index (low). It ranks worst on traffic deaths (high), pharmacies (low) and bachelor's degree or higher (low).

34Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,354 of 15,651 cities and towns
Oregon: #168 of 227 in OR
Population: 2,723 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 767.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 4109800

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety39#9,563/15,637
Economy29#11,044/15,631
Housing50#7,541/14,977
Health20#12,517/15,609
Healthcare45#8,640/15,650
Environment84#2,414/15,453
Education12#13,733/15,649
Infrastructure28#11,262/15,650
Community46#8,491/15,651
Leisure & amenities64#5,665/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Burns, Oregon ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Harney County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Mental health providers · high851 /100k
98/100Oregon 776 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHarney County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low94 min
98/100Oregon 159 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHarney County value
Median Air Quality Index · low28
95/100Oregon 352025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyHarney County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Oregon 3.2 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataHarney County value
Grocery stores · high2.7 /10k
92/100Oregon 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHarney County value
Average commute time · low12.9 min
92/100Oregon 23.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Traffic deaths · high53.3 /100k
1/100Oregon 13.3 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataHarney County value
Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100Oregon 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHarney County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low7.1%
3/100Oregon 36.8%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Flu vaccinations · low26.0%
3/100Oregon 39.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHarney County value
Depression · high30.3%
4/100Oregon 27.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Injury deaths · high148 /100k
4/100Oregon 96 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHarney County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.0× (2015-2019) → 4.5× (2020-2024)
+127%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Average commute timeWorsening
8.0 min (2015-2019) → 12.9 min (2020-2024)
+61%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Unemployment rateImproving
14.5% (2015-2019) → 3.4% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
5.7% (2015-2019) → 16.3% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
70.5% (2015-2019) → 81.0% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
15.1% (2015-2019) → 7.1% (2020-2024)
−8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Burns, Oregon improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined2

Price / income+2.5×2.0× → 4.5×
Bachelor's+−8 points15.1% → 7.1%

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Burns, Oregon between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	8.0 min2015-2019	12.9 min2020-2024	+4.9 min	Within the margin of error	10%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.1%2015-2019	7.1%2020-2024	−8 points	Declined	3%
Broadband subscriptions	70.5%2015-2019	81.0%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Effective property tax rate	1.08%2015-2019	0.86%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
High school diploma or higher	88.0%2015-2019	89.9%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	4.5×2020-2024	+2.5×	Declined	2%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3842015-2019	0.4042020-2024	+0.020	Within the margin of error	34%
Median household income	$35,8212015-2019	$41,8582020-2024	+17%	Within the margin of error	27%
Poverty rate	13.6%2015-2019	15.5%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	26.6%2015-2019	26.5%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Rent-burdened households	39.0%2015-2019	31.6%2020-2024	−7.4 points	Within the margin of error	77%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Burns, Oregon five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Burns, Oregon in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Burns, Oregon itself moved −8.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,723 residents (±20)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,371 households (±148)

Burns, Oregon
Oregon share

Under $25k29%†396
$25k–50k28%†389
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,371 households (±148)

Burns, Oregon
Oregon share

Own58%802
Rent42%569

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,113 workers (±171)

Burns, Oregon
Oregon share

Drive alone76%843
Carpool6.3%†70
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Harney County, the county holding most of Burns's residents.

Harney County has 214 employer establishments, 287 for every 10,000 residents (1.16× the US rate of 248; 1.00× Oregon's), with 1,576 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,139. The Census Bureau also counts 562 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 214; 562 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 287; US 248 · Oregon 288
Paid employees: 1,576
Average annual pay: $44,139; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Harney County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Construction of buildings	20	26.8	3.55×More than typical	32	$49,406	16
Specialty trade contractors	15	20.1	1.30×More than typical	54	$45,611	49
Restaurants and other eating places	14	18.8	1.02×About typical	110	$16,373	5
Lessors of real estate	13	17.4	1.42×More than typical	27	$27,370	51
Gasoline stations	11	14.7	4.55×More than typical	96	$39,688	—
Traveler accommodation	10	13.4	7.43×More than typical	95	$26,895	6
Building equipment contractors	9	12.1	2.01×Too few to compare	21	$40,381	7
Religious organizations	7	9.4	1.69×Too few to compare	17	$20,471	—
Ambulatory health care services	6	8	0.39×Too few to compare	73	$48,370	20
Full-service restaurants	6	8	1.05×Too few to compare	57	$17,877	3
Limited-service restaurants	6	8	1.00×Too few to compare	48	$14,646	—
Banks and credit unions	5	6.7	2.08×Too few to compare	27	$52,370	—

Rank places for an industry Open Harney County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 7,458 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Burns is mostly in Harney County.

See federal money in Harney County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Burns, Oregon is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Cliff BentzR-OR-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 0.1%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Harney County44100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Harney County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4109800

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends