Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety53#431/924
Economy82#166/925
Housing16#776/925
Health89#107/925
Healthcare84#145/923
Environment40#552/917
Education93#64/925
Infrastructure91#82/925
Community80#190/925
Leisure & amenities92#76/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bend, OR metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Physical inactivity · low16.6%
98/100Oregon 20.9%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.2 /10k
97/100Oregon 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Voter turnout · high77.8%
96/100Oregon 70.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
New homes permitted · high10.5 /1k
96/100Oregon 3.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Mental health providers · high690 /100k
95/100Oregon 776 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · low23
95/100Oregon 352025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Weaknesses

Home price to income ratio · high6.7×
4/100Oregon 5.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Distance to an emergency room · high17.2 mi
6/100Oregon 6.5 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Cost of buying a home today · high48.3%
6/100Oregon 42.2%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Pharmacies · low0.9 /10k
12/100Oregon 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
14/100Oregon 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Suicide rate · high24.8 /100k
14/100Oregon 20.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationRising
248,976 (2020) → 266,376 (2025)
+7%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureImproving
99% (2021) → 58% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−41 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysImproving
6 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
−84%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Child care cost burdenWorsening
20.9% (2020 & 2021) → 31.7% (2023 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$52,676 (2019) → $77,409 (2024)
+47%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204
Homicide rateWorsening
2.8 /100k (2021) → 4.1 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+46%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

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, Bend, OR metro area improved on 11 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 7 moved within the margin of error and 8 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved11

Real income+47%$52,676 → $77,409
Pharmacies+18%0.8 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Bachelor's++5 points35.4% → 40.4%
Household income+34%$67,043 → $89,788
Gyms+29%1.7 /10k → 2.2 /10k

Declined5

Price / income+1.3×5.4× → 6.7×
Overdose deaths+28%9.4 /100k → 12.0 /100k
Suicides+26%19.7 /100k → 24.8 /100k
Libraries−6.7%0.3 /10k → 0.3 /10k
Commute+1.4 min19.5 min → 20.9 min

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Bend, OR metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	6.5 /10k2020	7.8 /10k2025	+20%	Improved	75%
Average commute time	19.5 min2015-2019	20.9 min2020-2024	+1.4 min	Declined	23%
Bachelor's degree or higher	35.4%2015-2019	40.4%2020-2024	+5 points	Improved	90%
Broadband subscriptions	88.6%2015-2019	92.2%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Improved	3%
Child poverty rate	14.2%2015-2019	12.5%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Distance to an airport	16 mi2020	16 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	85%
Drug overdose deaths	9.4 /100k2020	12.0 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+28%	Declined	15%
Effective property tax rate	0.82%2015-2019	0.60%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	79%
Firearm deaths	14.6 /100k2020	15.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+4.7%	Little change	42%
Grocery stores	1.6 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−1.7%	Little change	43%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.7 /10k2020	2.2 /10k2025	+29%	Improved	78%
High school diploma or higher	93.7%2015-2019	94.2%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Home price to income ratio	5.4×2015-2019	6.7×2020-2024	+1.3×	Declined	5%
Homicide rate	4.0 /100k2020	4.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+2.9%	Little change	20%
Income adjusted for local prices	$52,6762019	$77,4092024	+47%	Improved	96%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4432015-2019	0.4562020-2024	+0.013	Within the margin of error	23%
Median household income	$67,0432015-2019	$89,7882020-2024	+34%	Improved	82%
New business applications	12.8 /1k2020	18.3 /1k2025	+43%	Improved	45%
Pharmacies	0.8 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	+18%	Improved	94%
Poverty rate	10.8%2015-2019	9.5%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Property crime rate	1,751 /100k2020	1,178 /100k2025	−33%	Improved	48%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.3 /10k2024	−6.7%	Declined	18%
Public transit commuters	0.3%2015-2019	0.2%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Rent as share of income	30.4%2015-2019	30.1%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Rent-burdened households	50.6%2015-2019	50.2%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Restaurants and bars	11.4 /10k2020	11.8 /10k2025	+3.7%	Little change	61%
Suicide rate	19.7 /100k2020	24.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+26%	Declined	20%
Traffic deaths	13.1 /100k2015-2019	12.8 /100k2020-2024	−2.5%	Little change	66%
Unemployment rate	7.9%2020	5.0%2025	−2.9 points	Improved	48%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.3%2015-2019	7.8%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Improved	78%
Violent crime rate	187 /100k2020	193 /100k2025	+2.9%	Little change	23%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Bend, OR metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bend, OR metro area 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, Bend, OR metro area itself moved −1.3 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

257,814 residents

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

104,529 households (±1,037)

Bend, OR metro area
United States share

Under $25k11%11,088
$25k–50k15%15,667
$50k–75k15%16,168

Homes

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

Owners and renters

104,529 households (±1,037)

Bend, OR metro area
United States share

Own71%73,771
Rent29%30,758

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.6 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

123,435 workers (±1,796)

Bend, OR metro area
United States share

Drive alone67%83,117
Carpool7.3%9,014
Public transit0.2%†307

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Bend, OR employ 22,610 people. 9 pay a median above the US median and 1 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Bend, OR by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers3,680 jobs	3,680	$35,460US $31,200	+14%	1.37×
Retail Salespersons3,190 jobs	3,190

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.

Bend, OR has 9,663 employer establishments, 370 for every 10,000 residents (1.49× the US rate of 248), with 89,011 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,998. The Census Bureau also counts 26,851 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 9,663; 26,851 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 370; US 248
Paid employees: 89,011
Average annual pay: $56,998; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	874	33.5	2.16×More than typical	5,691	$71,651	1,495
Ambulatory health care services	813	31.1	1.49×More than typical	6,137	$80,242	1,459
Lessors of real estate	672	25.7	2.09×More than typical	1,404	$49,466	3,197
Construction of buildings	619	23.7	3.14×More than typical	2,595	$73,813	1,037
Restaurants and other eating places	571	21.9	1.19×About typical	9,552	$28,739	106
Real estate agents and brokers	407	15.6	3.20×More than typical	482	$58,739	1,050
Offices of other health practitioners	385	14.7	2.43×More than typical	1,401	$50,959	958
Management, scientific and technical consulting	348	13.3	1.99×More than typical	910	$76,763	1,507
Services to buildings and dwellings	322	12.3	1.83×More than typical	1,506	$41,175	1,237
Building finishing contractors	274	10.5	2.76×More than typical	1,111	$52,620	469
Full-service restaurants	269	10.3	1.34×More than typical	4,632	$33,231	29
Building equipment contractors	245	9.4	1.56×More than typical	2,312	$77,603	196

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 261,120 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $78M on contracts performed in Bend, OR metro area: $293 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $78M; −26% vs FY2025
Per resident: $293; US $1,994
Sole-source: 5.8%; US 30%
Single offer: 42%; 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$43.2M55%
Department of Energy$13M17%

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.9B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Bend, OR metro area: $7,118 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.9B; −2.4% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,118; US $12,955
Loan face value: $123.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.4%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.3B70%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$171.7M9.1%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$100.8M5.3%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$79.1M4.2%
20.327 · Railroad Crossing Elimination$32.3M1.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$26.5M1.4%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$15M0.8%
64.028 · Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance$10.4M0.5%

Top recipients (organizations)

CITY OF BEND$32.4M1.7%
BEND, OR
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$18.1M1.0%
SALEM, OR
CENTRAL OREGON REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY$15.9M0.8%
REDMOND, OR
CENTRAL OREGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE$13.8M0.7%
BEND, OR
TUMALO IRRIGATION DISTRICT$12.8M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$1.5B81%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$198.5M10%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Railroad Administration$32.3M1.7%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$19.4M1.0%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Federal Highway Administration

Assistance by fiscal year

1.7BFY2021
1.6BFY2022
1.7BFY2023
1.9BFY2024
1.9BFY2025
1.9BFY2026

County aggregates

92%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Bend, OR

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

BendPrincipal city103,390

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Oregon

Areas based in Oregon, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M13460

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved11

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Bend, OR metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Bend, OR

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Oregon

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved11

Declined5

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards