CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

43.25° N · 123.46° W · GEOID 4147350

Melrose

Douglas County, Oregon · part of the Roseburg, OR metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_household_income, median_gross_rent

OregonMelrose, ORMelroseMelrose

The short answer

Melrose is home to 964 people. Median household income is $61,310 a year and median rent is $1,055 a month, 20.6% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $542,900, about 8.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,055
23% below the median place
Median household income
$61,310
24% below the median place
Median home value
$542,900
70% above the median place
Unemployment
5.4%
10% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Melrose

  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 101 Oregon places.
  • 39% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 102 Oregon places.
  • The median home is worth 8.8 years of the median household's income, more than in 97% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 104 Oregon places.
  • 94% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 104 Oregon places.
  • The median resident is 47.4 years old, older than in 87% of places its size.
01

Moving to Melrose

Douglas County gains about 4.1 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in4,086
Moved out3,745
Net+341

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Oregon, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within OregonOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$53K
Leavers$54K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Douglas County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
0.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Douglas County report $53,200 a year in income on average; those leaving, $54,300.
Income you would need
$42,200 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,055 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,865 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $542,900.
Getting to work
21 minutes each way on average; 39.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Montrose, CO matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
0.0%
below the median place (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in6
$53,155
25% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureMelroseAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year10.0%below (median 5.7%)
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure4.1above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$53,15525% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$54,29623% below
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 0.0%, below the median place (median 7.1%).

Melrose20.6%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$42,200
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
20.6%
1% above the median place
Home price to income
8.8x
133% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
21%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$48,300
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Melrose, $1,055 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Melrose.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Melrose? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Homeownership1
94.4%
42% above the median place
Property tax rate1
0.5%
45% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureMelroseAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$1,05523% below
Rent to income120.6%1% above
Property tax rate10.5%45% below
Home price to income18.8x133% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,21225% below
HUD area median income3County figure$76,60029% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,73716% below
Median home value1$542,90070% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure1.7%45% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure44.5%14% below
Homeownership194.4%42% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure51.2%1% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,8650% below
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119840% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Works from home1
39.0%
213% above the median place
Income per person1
$36,716
8% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureMelroseAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1County figure$61,31024% below
Income per person1$36,7168% below
Unemployment1County figure5.4%10% above
Average annual pay5County figure$56,33315% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.3%16% above
Jobs5County figure38,36475% below
Poverty rate1County figure16.3%51% above
Mean commute1County figure21 min17% below
Works from home139.0%213% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Median age1
47.4
22% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
86.7%
6% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher94.5% +2%
Bachelor's or higher37.3% +16%
Household size2.6 +3%
All 8 people measures
MeasureMelroseAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population19646646th largest
Median age147.422% above
Bachelor's or higher137.3%16% above
High school or higher194.5%2% above
Household size12.63% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure5.2%19% below
Homes with broadband186.7%6% below
05

Life in Melrose

51 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.6 −1%
Shops34.7 +15%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.8 −32%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.8 −12%
Child care centers1.6 −30%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Child care centers per 10k7
1.6
30% below the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
2.8
32% below the median place
Public schools9
48
above the median place (median 9)
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureMelroseAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure48above (median 9)
Public school students9County figure13,406174% above
Students per teacher9County figure15.83% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure20.61% below
Shops per 10k7County figure34.715% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure2.832% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure17.812% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure1.630% below
National Register listings8County figure51292% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Tornado risk is 6.4, 92% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Melrose. Larger places are fetched first.

Tornado risk11
6.4
92% below the median place
July average high10
80°F
7% below the median place
Wildfire risk11
97.8
60% above the median place
All 8 weather and risk measures
MeasureMelroseAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high10County figure80°F7% below
January average low10County figure34°F35% above
Average temperature10County figure51°F7% below
Annual precipitation10County figure53.1 in21% above
Natural hazard risk11County figure92.91% above
Tornado risk11County figure6.492% below
Wildfire risk11County figure97.860% above
Heat wave risk11County figure87.53% below
08

Melrose in 2030: where the trends point

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median household income$77,271 (2024)$97,500$82,500 to $115,500+4.0%
Median home value$542,900 (2024)$797,000$579,000 to $1,098,000+6.6%

The median home would be worth 8.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 7.0 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Melrose

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Montrose, CO$1,197$70,386Compare
Myrtle Beach, SC$1,261$60,394Compare
Brevard, NC$979$54,103Compare
Fredericksburg, TX$1,386$64,534Compare
Fredericksburg, TXBrevard, NCMyrtle Beach, SCMontrose, COMelrose, ORMelroseMontroseMyrtle BeachBrevardFredericksburgMelroseMontroseMyrtle BeachBrevardFredericksburg

Common questions

Is Melrose a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 101 Oregon places. 39% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 98% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 102 Oregon places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Melrose expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 20.6% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $542,900.

What salary do you need to live in Melrose?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $42,200 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Melrose?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Montrose, CO, Myrtle Beach, SC, Brevard, NC and Fredericksburg, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Melrose with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Melrose itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/melrose-oregon

Citytistics. “Melrose, Oregon.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/melrose-oregon/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.