City · Columbia County, Oregon

Rainier, Oregon

Rainier is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, part of the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area. It has 2,130 residents. Rainier, Oregon has a quality-of-life score of 39 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,602 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Oregon it ranks #147 of 227 cities and towns. It ranks best on median Air Quality Index (low), voter turnout (high) and property crime rate (low). It ranks worst on suicide rate (high), depression (high) and pharmacies (low).

39Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,602 of 15,651 cities and towns
Oregon: #147 of 227 in OR
Population: 2,130 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 521.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 4160850

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 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.

Safety50#7,775/15,637
Economy24#11,904/15,631
Housing19#12,170/14,977
Health26#11,487/15,609
Healthcare30#10,905/15,650
Environment93#1,022/15,453
Education14#13,437/15,649
Infrastructure82#2,779/15,650
Community61#6,099/15,651
Leisure & amenities36#10,040/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Median Air Quality Index · low27
96/100Oregon 352025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyColumbia County value
Voter turnout · high75.6%
88/100Oregon 70.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionColumbia County value
Property crime rate · low572 /100k
86/100Oregon 2,118 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationColumbia County value
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
84/100Oregon 0.4%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyColumbia County value
Dental care shortage · low0.0
84/100Oregon 9.4United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationColumbia County value
High school diploma or higher · high93.9%
81/100Oregon 91.8%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high31.6 /100k
3/100Oregon 20.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataColumbia County value
Depression · high30.6%
3/100Oregon 27.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Pharmacies · low0.7 /10k
7/100Oregon 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsColumbia County value
Frequent mental distress · high21.6%
7/100Oregon 19.6%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Math scores · low2.60
8/100Oregon 2.85United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteColumbia County value
Distance to an emergency room · high13.6 mi
9/100Oregon 6.5 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesColumbia County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
65.6% (2015-2019) → 45.0% (2020-2024)
−21 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
39.1% (2015-2019) → 24.2% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.1% (2015-2019) → 93.1% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
16.3% (2015-2019) → 8.0% (2020-2024)
−8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.7× (2015-2019) → 5.1× (2020-2024)
+39%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$50,793 (2015-2019) → $66,989 (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Rainier, Oregon improved on 3 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 7 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.

Improved3

Uninsured−8.3 points16.3% → 8.0%
Broadband+14 points79.1% → 93.1%
Household income+32%$50,793 → $66,989

Declined1

Price / income+1.4×3.7× → 5.1×

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Rainier, Oregon between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	29.2 min2015-2019	24.4 min2020-2024	−4.8 min	Within the margin of error	89%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.1%2015-2019	15.6%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Broadband subscriptions	79.1%2015-2019	93.1%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	76%
Effective property tax rate	1.30%2015-2019	0.92%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	82%
High school diploma or higher	88.0%2015-2019	93.9%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	5.1×2020-2024	+1.4×	Declined	10%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4022015-2019	0.4212020-2024	+0.019	Within the margin of error	35%
Median household income	$50,7932015-2019	$66,9892020-2024	+32%	Improved	59%
Poverty rate	14.1%2015-2019	18.3%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Rent-burdened households	65.6%2015-2019	45.0%2020-2024	−21 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	16.3%2015-2019	8.0%2020-2024	−8.3 points	Improved	94%

“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 Rainier, Oregon five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Rainier, 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, Rainier, Oregon itself moved +12.8 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

2,130 residents (±426)

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

841 households (±146)

Rainier, Oregon
Oregon share

Under $25k17%†147
$25k–50k21%†173
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

841 households (±146)

Rainier, Oregon
Oregon share

Own60%507
Rent40%†334

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

875 workers (±194)

Rainier, Oregon
Oregon share

Drive alone71%621
Carpool13%†117
Public transit0.1%†1

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

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 Columbia County, the county holding most of Rainier's residents.

Columbia County has 996 employer establishments, 185 for every 10,000 residents (0.74× the US rate of 248; 0.64× Oregon's), with 9,272 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,441. The Census Bureau also counts 3,099 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 996; 3,099 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 185; US 248 · Oregon 288
Paid employees: 9,272
Average annual pay: $48,441; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	84	15.6	1.01×About typical	529	$72,244	148
Restaurants and other eating places	77	14.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	1,092	$24,118	14
Ambulatory health care services	61	11.3	0.54×Fewer than typical	326	$55,684	108
Construction of buildings	53	9.8	1.30×More than typical	203	$65,759	107
Lessors of real estate	39	7.2	0.59×Fewer than typical	76	$39,632	296
Full-service restaurants	34	6.3	0.82×About typical	442	$25,183	3
Religious organizations	32	5.9	1.07×About typical	142	$19,570	—
Truck transportation	31	5.8	1.14×About typical	178	$71,803	67
Automotive repair and maintenance	28	5.2	1.03×About typical	146	$56,226	46
Building finishing contractors	27	5	1.32×More than typical	140	$53,336	37
Building equipment contractors	26	4.8	0.80×About typical	138	$74,341	19
Limited-service restaurants	26	4.8	0.60×Fewer than typical	498	$22,653	6

Rank places for an industry Open Columbia County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 53,845 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 $1,446 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Rainier, Oregon: $0.68 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1,446
Per resident: $0.68; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

U.S. Coast Guard$1,446100%

Top recipients

NRC ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES INC.$1,14779%
BALLARD MARINE CONSTRUCTION LLC$29921%

Spending by fiscal year

34.7KFY2017
48FY2018
22.9FY2019
104.8FY2020
394.9FY2022
2.6KFY2023
103.9KFY2024
1.4KFY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$1,446100%

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 Rainier, Oregon, so they do not add up across cities.

Rainier, Oregon's figures are part of those of Columbia County, OR ($972.9K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Columbia 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.

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

House

Suzanne BonamiciD-OR-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 1.2%

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.

Columbia County57100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA80

Other cities and towns in Columbia 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/4160850

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends