Scores by category

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

Safety37#580/924
Economy21#732/925
Housing55#421/925
Health44#523/925
Healthcare58#384/923
Environment89#106/917
Education65#324/925
Infrastructure33#619/925
Community99#9/925
Leisure & amenities83#157/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Average commute time · low16.3 min
96/100Oregon 23.0 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Social associations · high16.2 /10k
92/100Oregon 9.7 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · low27
92/100Oregon 352025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Preventable hospital stays · low1,640 /100k
92/100Oregon 1,868 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Public libraries · high1.5 /10k
90/100Oregon 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high2.3 /10k
89/100Oregon 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high100%
1/100Oregon 56%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · low0.4 /10k
1/100Oregon 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · low22.0%
1/100Oregon 39.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Unemployment rate · high5.7%
8/100Oregon 5.2%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Depression · high28.7%
9/100Oregon 27.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Job growth · low-2.4%
11/100Oregon -1.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
68% (2021) → 100% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+32 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Violent crime rateWorsening
119 /100k (2020) → 267 /100k (2025)
+124%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /100k
High ozone daysImproving
2 days (2017) → 0 days (2022)
−100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Hot daysWorsening
4 days (2011-2020) → 7 days (2016-2025)
+100%5 yearsUS 41 days → 42 days
New business applicationsImproving
6.4 /1k (2020) → 11.8 /1k (2025)
+83%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
New homes permittedWorsening
5.9 /1k (2021) → 2.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−57%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

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, La Grande, OR micropolitan area improved on 9 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 10 moved within the margin of error and 4 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.

Improved9

New businesses+83%6.4 /1k → 11.8 /1k
Arts & recreation+31%3.8 /10k → 5.0 /10k
Weekly wage+28%$813 → $1,038
Real income+37%$42,334 → $57,838
Homicides−38%5.5 /100k → 3.4 /100k

Declined7

Violent crime+124%119 /100k → 267 /100k
Pharmacies−49%0.8 /10k → 0.4 /10k
Restaurants−26%13.0 /10k → 9.7 /10k
Firearm deaths+48%14.5 /100k → 21.5 /100k
Price / income+0.9×3.6× → 4.5×

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of La Grande, OR micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.8 /10k2020	5.0 /10k2025	+31%	Improved	88%
Average commute time	17.1 min2015-2019	16.3 min2020-2024	−0.8 min	Within the margin of error	84%
Average weekly wage	$8132020	$1,0382025	+28%	Improved	83%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.5%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Broadband subscriptions	81.1%2015-2019	83.7%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Child poverty rate	16.0%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Distance to an airport	83 mi2020	83 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	23.4 /100k2020	15.3 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−35%	Improved	63%
Effective property tax rate	0.89%2015-2019	0.68%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	75%
Firearm deaths	14.5 /100k2020	21.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+48%	Declined	10%
Grocery stores	2.7 /10k2020	2.3 /10k2025	−13%	Declined	18%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.5 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	−24%	Declined	17%
High school diploma or higher	92.7%2015-2019	93.5%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	4.5×2020-2024	+0.9×	Declined	14%
Homicide rate	5.5 /100k2020	3.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−38%	Improved	65%
Income adjusted for local prices	$42,3342019	$57,8382024	+37%	Improved	79%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4372015-2019	0.4652020-2024	+0.028	Within the margin of error	8%
Median household income	$52,1712015-2019	$65,6612020-2024	+26%	Improved	44%
New business applications	6.4 /1k2020	11.8 /1k2025	+83%	Improved	89%
Pharmacies	0.8 /10k2020	0.4 /10k2025	−49%	Declined	2%
Poverty rate	13.9%2015-2019	16.1%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Property crime rate	2,002 /100k2020	1,525 /100k2025	−24%	Improved	30%
Public libraries	1.5 /10k2019	1.5 /10k2024	+3%	Little change	81%
Rent as share of income	26.3%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	41.3%2015-2019	41.6%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Restaurants and bars	13.0 /10k2020	9.7 /10k2025	−26%	Declined	1%
Traffic deaths	14.4 /100k2015-2019	13.8 /100k2020-2024	−4.4%	Little change	70%
Unemployment rate	8.0%2020	5.7%2025	−2.3 points	Improved	30%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.4%2015-2019	8.7%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Violent crime rate	119 /100k2020	267 /100k2025	+124%	Declined	1%

“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 La Grande, OR micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of La Grande, OR micropolitan 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, La Grande, OR micropolitan area itself moved −11.4 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

26,144 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

10,900 households (±156)

La Grande, OR micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k18%2,002
$25k–50k21%2,304
$50k–75k16%1,775

Homes

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

Owners and renters

10,900 households (±156)

La Grande, OR micropolitan area
United States share

Own66%7,141
Rent34%3,759

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

11,658 workers (±384)

La Grande, OR micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone72%8,385
Carpool9.7%1,130
Public transit0.3%†31

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 no occupation wages for La Grande, OR micropolitan area.

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.

La Grande, OR has 740 employer establishments, 285 for every 10,000 residents (1.15× the US rate of 248), with 7,702 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,525. The Census Bureau also counts 1,812 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 740; 1,812 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 285; US 248
Paid employees: 7,702
Average annual pay: $51,525; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	60	23.1	1.49×More than typical	298	$58,215	100
Restaurants and other eating places	54	20.8	1.13×About typical	694	$22,903	14
Ambulatory health care services	53	20.4	0.98×About typical	692	$77,053	80
Construction of buildings	42	16.2	2.14×More than typical	216	$55,718	67
Lessors of real estate	28	10.8	0.88×About typical	56	$34,518	191
Religious organizations	28	10.8	1.95×More than typical	147	$16,912	—
Building equipment contractors	24	9.3	1.54×More than typical	123	$55,374	15
Full-service restaurants	23	8.9	1.15×About typical	341	$24,780	5
Services to buildings and dwellings	21	8.1	1.20×About typical	68	$27,574	108
Automotive repair and maintenance	20	7.7	1.53×More than typical	94	$45,862	28
Limited-service restaurants	20	7.7	0.96×About typical	274	$21,237	3
Truck transportation	18	6.9	1.37×More than typical	149	$55,107	31

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,934 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 $21.1M on contracts performed in La Grande, OR micropolitan area: $813 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $21.1M; −31% vs FY2025
Per resident: $813; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 3.7%; 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$20.3M97%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$600.3K2.8%
Departmental Offices$112.4K0.5%
Federal Acquisition Service$17K0.1%

Top recipients

HELICOPTER TRANSPORT SERVICES, LLC$11.8M56%
HELICOPTER EXPRESS LLC$3.9M18%
COASTAL HELICOPTERS, LLC$2.1M9.7%
IMPERIAL FORESTRY, INCORPORATED$523.5K2.5%
SMOKEYS HELPING HAND, LLC.$395.6K1.9%

Spending by fiscal year

5.5MFY2017
3.2MFY2018
3.1MFY2019
10.9MFY2020
4.6MFY2021
9.2MFY2022
13.6MFY2023
19.9M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812$17.7M84%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$1.9M8.9%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$371.4K1.8%
General freight trucking · 4841$370.7K1.8%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$209.1K1.0%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$207.2K1.0%

Largest awards

HTS - T1 EU FOR LA GRANDE, OR #3$18.8M
HELICOPTER TRANSPORT SERVICES, LLC· Union County, OR· Facilities & utilities· Mar 25, 2025 – Sep 29, 2026· 1202SA25K9206
TYPE II EXCLUSIVE USE FOR LA GRANDE, OR #1$14.6M
HELICOPTER EXPRESS LLC· Union County, OR· Facilities & utilities· Apr 4, 2024 – Sep 22, 2026· 1202SA24K9240
TYPE II EXCLUSIVE USE FOR LA GRANDE, OR$6M
COASTAL HELICOPTERS, LLC· Union County, OR· Facilities & utilities· Apr 1, 2024 – Sep 9, 2026· 1202SA24K9233
OR LOOKINGGLASS FH INTAKE, FISH LADDER, AND TRAVELING SCREENS

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.

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 $211.6M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for La Grande, OR micropolitan area: $8,169 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $211.6M; −8.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,169; US $12,955
Loan face value: $13.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.9%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$115.3M54%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$19.6M9.3%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$14.1M6.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$10.2M4.8%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$9.1M4.3%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$8.5M4.0%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$5.9M2.8%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$5M2.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$8.5M4.0%
SALEM, OR
EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY$6.8M3.2%
LA GRANDE, OR
NORTHEAST OREGON HOUSING AUTHORITY$6.4M3.0%
LA GRANDE, OR
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE UMATILLA INDIAN RESERVATION$4.5M2.1%
PENDLETON, OR
STATE OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

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$144.6M68%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$22M10%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Railroad Retirement Board$9.1M4.3%
Federal Highway Administration$8.5M4.0%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$6.2M

Assistance by fiscal year

197.4MFY2021
206.8MFY2022
191.8MFY2023
205MFY2024
232.3MFY2025
211.6MFY2026

County aggregates

83%

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 La Grande, 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.

Union CountyCentral county6425,900

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

La GrandePrincipal city13,058

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

JSON · /api/v1/places/M29260

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved9

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like La Grande, OR micropolitan 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in La Grande, 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

Improved9

Declined7

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

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought