Scores by category

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

Safety42#9,009/15,637
Economy24#11,868/15,631
Housing37#9,453/14,977
Health50#7,771/15,609
Healthcare57#6,687/15,650
Environment87#2,068/15,453
Education55#6,986/15,649
Infrastructure41#9,309/15,650
Community49#7,954/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,340/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where John Day, Oregon ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Grant 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

Preventable hospital stays · low659 /100k
100/100Oregon 1,868 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrant County value
Grocery stores · high4.2 /10k
99/100Oregon 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGrant County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.31%
97/100Oregon 0.81%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty
Time spent in the emergency room · low99 min
96/100Oregon 159 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesGrant County value
Mental health providers · high663 /100k
95/100Oregon 776 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrant County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high9.9 /10k
95/100Oregon 5.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGrant County value

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low21.0%
1/100Oregon 39.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrant County value
Job growth · low-5.2%
2/100Oregon -1.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataGrant County value
Traffic deaths · high38.8 /100k
3/100Oregon 13.3 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataGrant County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Oregon 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGrant County value
Natural hazard risk · high94.9
5/100Oregon 60.82025Federal Emergency Management AgencyGrant County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high122 mi
7/100Oregon 24 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauGrant County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,244 (2015-2019) → 1,609 (2020-2024)
−28%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Average commute timeWorsening
7.7 min (2015-2019) → 16.7 min (2020-2024)
+116%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
60.9% (2015-2019) → 42.7% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
31.7% (2015-2019) → 19.9% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$39,355 (2015-2019) → $57,891 (2020-2024)
+47%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
25.2% (2015-2019) → 18.0% (2020-2024)
−7.2 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, John Day, Oregon improved on 0 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of John Day, Oregon between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.2%2015-2019	18.0%2020-2024	−7.2 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Broadband subscriptions	82.8%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+6.8 points	Within the margin of error	42%
High school diploma or higher	89.9%2015-2019	92.2%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	3.7×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	40%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4632015-2019	0.4202020-2024	−0.043	Within the margin of error	81%
Median household income	$39,3552015-2019	$57,8912020-2024	+47%	Within the margin of error	82%
Poverty rate	17.5%2015-2019	12.9%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent-burdened households	60.9%2015-2019	42.7%2020-2024	−18 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.0%2015-2019	6.1%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	45%

“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 John Day, Oregon five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of John Day, 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, John Day, Oregon itself moved +7.5 points in standing on average over the same 7 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

1,609 residents (±260)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 10–19 women (+6.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,609 residents (±260)

John Day, Oregon
Oregon share

White86%1,380
Black0.4%†6
Hispanic or Latino1.5%†24

Education

1,199 residents (±173)

John Day, Oregon
Oregon share

No high school diploma7.8%†93
High school or GED32%379
Some college32%387

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

785 households (±128)

John Day, Oregon
Oregon share

Under $25k23%†184
$25k–50k16%†125
$50k–75k19%†149
$75k–100k15%†114
$100k–150k19%†148
$150k–200k3.8%†30
$200k or more4.5%†35

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+14.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

785 households (±128)

John Day, Oregon
Oregon share

Own51%399
Rent49%†386

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

381 households (±118)

John Day, Oregon
Oregon share

Under $75031%†118
$750–1,00042%†159
$1,000–1,50027%†104

Home values

399 homes (±84)

John Day, Oregon
Oregon share

Under $150k22%†88
$150k–250k41%†163
$250k–400k26%†102

Age of homes

861 homes (±132)

John Day, Oregon
Oregon share

2010 or later0.9%†8
2000–20093.0%†26
1980–199913%†110

Size of homes

861 homes (±132)

John Day, Oregon
Oregon share

Studio9.1%†78
1 bedroom14%†121
2 bedrooms34%†289

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

761 workers (±139)

John Day, Oregon
Oregon share

Drive alone72%546
Carpool13%†97
Public transit0.0%0
Walk5.7%†43
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.9%†75
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (+7.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

686 workers (±128)

John Day, Oregon
Oregon share

Under 15 min74%506
15–29 min16%†112
30–44 min3.8%†26

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Grant County, the county holding most of John Day's residents.

Grant County has 207 employer establishments, 286 for every 10,000 residents (1.15× the US rate of 248; 0.99× Oregon's), with 1,543 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,019. The Census Bureau also counts 529 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 207; 529 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 286; US 248 · Oregon 288
Paid employees: 1,543
Average annual pay: $50,019; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	15	20.8	1.13×About typical	118	$20,517	6
Lessors of real estate	14	19.4	1.57×More than typical	14	$24,214	40
Specialty trade contractors	14	19.4	1.25×More than typical	26	$52,538	44
Construction of buildings	13	18	2.38×More than typical	23	$34,348	30
Full-service restaurants	11	15.2	1.98×More than typical	86	$19,977	—
Ambulatory health care services	9	12.5	0.60×Too few to compare	95	$76,853	15
Real estate agents and brokers	9	12.5	2.56×Too few to compare	8	$16,125	13
Religious organizations	8	11.1	2.00×Too few to compare	27	$20,407	—
Traveler accommodation	7	9.7	5.37×Too few to compare	34	$36,941	11
Banks and credit unions	6	8.3	2.57×Too few to compare	35	$62,743	—
Building equipment contractors	6	8.3	1.38×Too few to compare	11	$50,273	5
Other specialty trade contractors	6	8.3	3.31×Too few to compare	13	$59,154	28

Rank places for an industry Open Grant County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 7,228 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

In FY2026, an estimated $359.3K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in John Day, Oregon: $223 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $359.3K; +16% vs FY2025
Per resident: $223; US $1,994
Sole-source: 1.4%; US 30%
Single offer: 27%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Forest Service$329.2K92%
Department of the Army$30.1K8.4%

Top recipients

ROTAK LLC$83.2K23%
WESTERN MACHINE WORKS, LLC A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY OF DELAWARE$28.2K7.8%
L & S FENCING, LLC$22.9K6.4%
COASTAL HELICOPTERS, LLC$22.1K6.2%
J & S TRUCKING I, INC$18.6K5.2%

Spending by fiscal year

40.2KFY2017
88.2KFY2018
98.4KFY2019
62.2KFY2020
107.9KFY2021
318.2KFY2022
159.6KFY2023
1MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812$120K33%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$107.9K30%
Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$29.3K8.1%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$24.3K6.8%
Other specialty trade contractors · 2389$22.9K6.4%
Special food services · 7223$14.3K

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in John Day, Oregon, so they do not add up across cities.

John Day, Oregon's figures are part of those of Grant County, OR ($18.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Grant 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.

John Day, 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.

Grant County51100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Grant 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/4137550

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends