Scores by category

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

Safety35#10,162/15,637
Economy13#13,619/15,631
Housing21#11,846/14,977
Health20#12,533/15,609
Healthcare34#10,263/15,650
Environment32#10,472/15,453
Education6#14,731/15,649
Infrastructure37#9,844/15,650
Community58#6,585/15,651
Leisure & amenities31#10,811/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Sweet Home, Oregon ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Linn 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 AgencyLinn County value
Preventable hospital stays · low2,174 /100k
80/100Oregon 1,868 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLinn County value
Voter turnout · high73.2%
79/100Oregon 70.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionLinn County value
Hot days · low8 days
77/100Oregon 16 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLinn County value
New homes permitted · high5.0 /1k
76/100Oregon 3.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Comfortable days · high28.6%
72/100Oregon 27.0%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLinn County value

Weaknesses

Depression · high32.9%
1/100Oregon 27.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · high21.6%
7/100Oregon 19.6%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Unemployment rate · high10.6%
8/100Oregon 5.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Suicide rate · high25.1 /100k
8/100Oregon 20.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLinn County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low11.3%
9/100Oregon 36.8%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
9/100Oregon 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLinn County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.0% (2015-2019) → 90.7% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
8.4 /1k (2021) → 5.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−41%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.5× (2015-2019) → 4.8× (2020-2024)
+37%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$43,589 (2015-2019) → $56,927 (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
25.6 min (2015-2019) → 33.3 min (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
5.9% (2015-2019) → 11.3% (2020-2024)
+5.4 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, Sweet Home, Oregon improved on 3 of 15 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.

Improved3

Bachelor's++5.4 points5.9% → 11.3%
Broadband+12 points79.0% → 90.7%
Household income+31%$43,589 → $56,927

Declined2

Inequality+0.0760.386 → 0.461
Price / income+1.3×3.5× → 4.8×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Sweet Home, Oregon between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.6 min2015-2019	33.3 min2020-2024	+7.8 min	Within the margin of error	4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	5.9%2015-2019	11.3%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Improved	71%
Broadband subscriptions	79.0%2015-2019	90.7%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	68%
Child poverty rate	18.0%2015-2019	16.5%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Effective property tax rate	1.20%2015-2019	1.00%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	58%
High school diploma or higher	81.0%2015-2019	83.2%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	4.8×2020-2024	+1.3×	Declined	13%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3862015-2019	0.4612020-2024	+0.076	Declined	9%
Median household income	$43,5892015-2019	$56,9272020-2024	+31%	Improved	57%
Poverty rate	20.7%2015-2019	19.4%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.3%2015-2019	33.8%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Rent-burdened households	52.3%2015-2019	57.5%2020-2024	+5.2 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Unemployment rate	8.8%2015-2019	10.6%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.7%2015-2019	8.8%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	57%

“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 Sweet Home, Oregon five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sweet Home, 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, Sweet Home, Oregon itself moved −9.2 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

10,078 residents (±19)

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 men (−4.2 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

10,078 residents (±19)

Sweet Home, Oregon
Oregon share

White89%8,948
Black0.4%†36
Hispanic or Latino4.1%†409
Asian0.6%†56
American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%†18
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.3%†31
Other or two or more races5.8%†580

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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

7,622 residents (±331)

Sweet Home, Oregon
Oregon share

No high school diploma17%1,281
High school or GED36%2,760
Some college26%1,965
Associate degree9.9%†755
Bachelor's degree9.5%†727
Graduate degree1.8%†134

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (+6.1 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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

4,262 households (±278)

Sweet Home, Oregon
Oregon share

Under $25k26%1,124
$25k–50k19%†794
$50k–75k21%874
$75k–100k11%†467
$100k–150k18%750
$150k–200k4.0%†169
$200k or more2.0%†84

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−11.7 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

4,262 households (±278)

Sweet Home, Oregon
Oregon share

Own67%2,853
Rent33%1,409

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

1,365 households (±292)

Sweet Home, Oregon
Oregon share

Under $75015%†210
$750–1,00023%†319
$1,000–1,50029%†390

Home values

2,853 homes (±334)

Sweet Home, Oregon
Oregon share

Under $150k17%†493
$150k–250k24%†692
$250k–400k40%1,136

Age of homes

4,310 homes (±284)

Sweet Home, Oregon
Oregon share

2010 or later5.3%†230
2000–200913%†542
1980–199918%757

Size of homes

4,310 homes (±284)

Sweet Home, Oregon
Oregon share

Studio2.3%†98
1 bedroom10%†431
2 bedrooms37%1,616

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

3,861 workers (±363)

Sweet Home, Oregon
Oregon share

Drive alone76%2,946
Carpool8.7%†335
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.6%†62
Bike0.0%0
Work from home13%†494
Other0.6%†24

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−8.5 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

3,367 workers (±375)

Sweet Home, Oregon
Oregon share

Under 15 min25%833
15–29 min17%†588
30–44 min25%†857

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

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 Albany, OR

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 Linn County, the county holding most of Sweet Home's residents.

Linn County has 2,846 employer establishments, 216 for every 10,000 residents (0.87× the US rate of 248; 0.75× Oregon's), with 37,099 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,989. The Census Bureau also counts 7,826 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,846; 7,826 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 216; US 248 · Oregon 288
Paid employees: 37,099
Average annual pay: $53,989; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	254	19.3	1.25×About typical	2,534	$73,208	364
Restaurants and other eating places	205	15.6	0.85×About typical	3,190	$22,897	37
Construction of buildings	156	11.9	1.57×More than typical	630	$54,898	237
Ambulatory health care services	140	10.6	0.51×Fewer than typical	1,309	$59,011	286
Lessors of real estate	135	10.3	0.83×About typical	260	$40,035	839
Truck transportation	112	8.5	1.68×More than typical	833	$59,791	211
Religious organizations	98	7.4	1.34×More than typical	695	$28,112	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	97	7.4	1.09×About typical	405	$30,916	409
Building equipment contractors	81	6.2	1.02×About typical	1,270	$81,800	48
Full-service restaurants	80	6.1	0.79×Fewer than typical	1,064	$25,935	11
Limited-service restaurants	78	5.9	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,674	$21,909	19
Grocery and convenience stores	64	4.9	1.64×More than typical	1,032	$27,574	15

Rank places for an industry Open Linn County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 131,591 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 $73.9K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sweet Home, Oregon: $7.33 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $73.9K; +263% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7.33; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; 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

Forest Service$73.2K99%
Bureau of Land Management$7201.0%

Top recipients

JR CARLON CORP$73.2K99%
APEX PROPERTY CLEARING & RECYCLING LLC$7201.0%
RIDGE2RIVER CONSTRUCTION LLC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

17.8KFY2017
31.7KFY2018
16.1KFY2019
107.1KFY2020
242.5KFY2021
362.5KFY2022
163.4KFY2023
39.9K

Top industries (NAICS)

Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$73.2K99%
Waste collection · 5621$7201.0%

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 Sweet Home, Oregon, so they do not add up across cities.

Sweet Home, Oregon's figures are part of those of Linn County, OR ($20M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.4% of that total.

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

See federal money in Linn 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.

Sweet Home, Oregon is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

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.

Linn County43100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Albany, OR45

Other cities and towns in Linn 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/4171950

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends