CitytisticsShortlist

Lincoln City, OR vs Shelter Cove, CA

Lincoln City

Oregon

vs

Shelter Cove

California

Across 26 directional measures we can compare, Lincoln City leads on 18 and Shelter Cove on 8. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 2% higher in Lincoln City, and so is median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,314$1,287
Lincoln City is 2% higher
Median household income
$56,635$44,444
Lincoln City is 27% higher
Median home value
$412,700$450,300
Lincoln City is 8% lower
CaliforniaOregonShelter Cove, CALincoln City, ORLincoln CityShelter CoveLincoln CityShelter Cove

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 1 of 1 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Lincoln City, ORComposite 40.0 / 100
24
8203725928186

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureLincoln CityShelter CoveAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,314$1,287
Rent to income127.8%34.7%
Property tax rate10.9%0.9%
Home price to income17.3x10.1x
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2$1,400$1,554
HUD area median income3$82,200$85,700
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$3,920$4,167
Median home value1$412,700$450,300
Home prices, 1-year change4-0.4%-0.2%
Home prices, 5-year change451.1%34.4%
Homeownership159.3%81.5%
Renters paying 30%+158.4%0.0%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,871$2,500
Vacant homes136.8%51.6%
Median year built119821997
Jobs and income
Median household income1$56,635$44,444
Income per person1$41,022$32,207
Unemployment16.7%9.0%
Average annual pay5$53,096$57,492
Pay growth, 1 year54.3%4.1%
Jobs518,58052,251
Poverty rate114.1%24.9%
Mean commute117 min19 min
Works from home116.6%13.0%
Commutes by transit10.5%0.0%
People
Population19,968543
Population change since 202063.1%n/a
Median age149.249.7
Bachelor's or higher126.1%19.2%
High school or higher190.4%95.0%
Household size12.21.6
Born abroad18.2%6.2%
No health insurance110.3%4.9%
Homes with broadband191.5%62.0%
Moving
Moved here in the past year110.2%6.6%
Moved from another state13.8%0.0%
Net movers per 1,000 people78.2-8.4
Income of households moving in7$79,692$53,320
Income of households moving out7$74,077$51,183
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k841.025.0
Shops per 10k855.339.0
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k85.34.8
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k813.016.4
Child care centers per 10k82.43.9
Parks per 10k934.1n/a
Playgrounds per 10k915.1n/a
Grocery stores per 10k911.0n/a
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k9114.4n/a
Libraries per 10k91.0n/a
Named paths and bike trails94.3n/a
Transit stops per sq mi91.0n/a
Nearest National Park Service site1079.2n/a
National Park Service sites within 60 miles100n/a
National Register listings113559
Founded or incorporated121965n/a
Safety
Violent crime per 100k13407n/a
Property crime per 100k131,736n/a
Schools
Public schools141789
Public school students144,79417,175
Students per teacher1417.318.7
Climate
July average high1573°F81°F
January average low1537°F38°F
Average temperature1552°F54°F
Annual precipitation1591.0 in61.7 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1690.096.8
Tornado risk1611.27.9
Wildfire risk1650.895.5
Heat wave risk1638.047.3
Median air quality index17n/a38
Good air days17n/a78.1%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Lincoln City $52,560, Shelter Cove $51,480 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. 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. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. 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.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Wikidata · Wikimedia Foundation (CC0) · Retrieved 2026-11
  13. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 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
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

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

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

Other places people weigh against these two, and each one in full.