The story of this market
The typical home in Polk County, Oregon sells for about $491,065, or $278 per square foot.
Prices are up +1.3% from a year ago, so sellers still have some momentum. Homes take about 63 days to sell, which is slow. Over the long run, values in this county have grown 184% since 2000. Last year 13 of 15 neighborhoods saw prices rise, so the story isn't the same street to street. HUD's fair market rent for a two-bedroom is $1,692 a month.
HUD sets the fair market rent for a 2-bedroom at $1,692 a month. FEMA's National Risk Index rates overall hazard risk here as Relatively Low.
Price climate
Every year of price change, 2000–2025
+3.6%
2025
Each stripe is one year's median price change across the area's census tracts (FHFA repeat-sales index). Deep blue is a strong gain year, red a falling year. Best: 2006 (+16.1%). Worst: 2010 (-8.4%). Hover to read a year.
Monthly price momentum
Home values since 2015
+0.3%
OR · past 12 months
Freddie Mac House Price Index, single-family homes, monthly through 2026-08. Each line starts at 100 in January 2015, so a reading of 180 means prices are up 80% since then.
Rent benchmark
Fair market rent by size
$2,341
3-bed / month
HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal 2027, for this county. A typical rent for a modest unit, used to set housing-voucher payments.
Neighborhood price trend
Long-run price trend, 2000–2025
+3.6%
2025 change
FHFA repeat-sales index, median of 15 census tracts in this county (2000 = 100). Bars are each year's median change.
Natural hazard exposure
The area's risk shape
67
Relatively Low
FEMA National Risk Index. Each spoke is a hazard ranked nationally, where 100 is the most exposed. Expected annual loss: $37,923,021.
Mortgage activity
Home lending in this county
79.5%
2018 approval rate
| Year | Applications | Loans made | Approval | Investor share | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 5117 | 2806 | 79.5% | 4.8% | $295,000 |
CFPB Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records: every mortgage application reported by lenders for homes in this county. Approval rate is approved ÷ decided (withdrawn and incomplete files excluded). Investor share and home value are the median census tract.
Polk County, Oregon
Polk County's residential housing market demonstrates steady resilience with modest 1.3% year-over-year price growth, bringing median sale prices to $491,065. Median days on market sit at 63 days alongside 5.3 months of supply, reflecting a balanced marketplace characterized by disciplined buyer negotiation. Stable demand from Salem commuters, higher education anchors, and Willamette Valley lifestyle movers supports price stability.
No ARED distress-ledger coverage for this county yet — the foreclosure ingest rotates the national county directory, and filings appear here once the county's posted notices are read. Key-figure check: no independent anchor retained yet — first-researched cycles establish the anchor baseline this pass.
Select a city to expand its ZIP intel reports beneath · 8 cities · 8 ZIP reports
Median prices moved up 0.1% year over year.
Homes spend a median of 109 days on market with 0.1 months of supply — a balanced-paced market.
1% of listings have cut prices · homes sell at 95.59% of asking — demand is running ahead of supply.
no recorded foreclosure-ledger notices (0.0 per 10,000 residents) · unemployment 4.1% · poverty 11.2% — a stable, low-distress profile.
ACS 2024 5-year estimates. Aggregate published statistics for this county — never individual records, and never an attribute of any individual property or resident.
Deterministic aggregate of 8 researched ZIP reports — sales_count-weighted (population fallback); per point, children lacking the value or its weight are excluded. Tax rates, sentiment and context notes are tier-native and never roll.
Polk County, Oregon — researched county-level history with a deterministic 1 / 3 / 5-year projection
Solid: researched ten-year history · dotted: 1 / 3 / 5-year projection extended from the historical 9.0%/yr trend — a deterministic estimate, not a published forecast or guarantee.
No researched properties in this county yet — the property base layer populates as property research runs, and each property feeds its ZIP's roll-up.
researched Sep 26
researched Sep 26
researched Sep 26
researched Sep 26
researched Sep 26
researched Sep 26
researched Sep 26
researched Sep 26
| 97304 | Salem (West Salem portion) | $590,000 | $230 | +5.1% | 22 | 98.5% | 15% | 3.2 | 178 | $1,910 | researched Sep 26 |
| 97338 | — | $466,534 | $266 | +1.5% | 28 | — | — | — | 102 | $1,692 | researched Sep 26 |
| 97344 | Falls City | $449,655 | $266 | -0.1% | 56 | 98.5% | 24% | 2.4 | 1,280 | $1,300 | researched Sep 26 |
| 97347 | Grand Ronde (CDP) | $249,500 | $145 | +2.1% | 76 | 98.5% | 12% | 5.2 | 42 | $1,150 | researched Sep 26 |
| 97351 | Independence | $444,500 | $319 | — | 116 | 100% | — | — | 20 | $1,300 | researched Sep 26 |
| 97361 | Monmouth | $549,900 | $373 | -0.8% | 76 | 98% | — | 3.3 | 66 | $1,300 | researched Sep 26 |
| 97371 | Rickreall | $450,000 | $266 | -0.1% | 117 | 85% | — | — | — | $1,584 | researched Sep 26 |
| 97396 | Willamina (part) | $365,000 | $206 | +4.9% | 47 | — | — | — | 196 | $1,692 | researched Sep 26 |
Figures are each ZIP report's own latest research — the county roll-up aggregates them sales_count-weighted (population fallback); ZIPs cycle quarterly.
Polk County exhibits lower violent and property crime rates compared to statewide averages in Oregon and the national benchmark. Rural and suburban municipalities like Dallas, Monmouth, and Independence report manageable property-crime rates focused mostly on non-violent theft.
Polk County is served by several well-regarded public school districts, led by Dallas School District 2, Central School District 13J, and West Salem public schools within Salem-Keizer Public Schools. Performance generally mirrors or exceeds state proficiency averages, particularly in West Salem and suburban primary schools.
Flood risks primarily affect low-lying zones along the Willamette River and Rickreall Creek, where roughly 6% of county properties face severe flood exposure. Western timberland sections carry elevated wildfire hazards during late summer, prompting rising insurance underwriting scrutiny under Oregon wildfire hazard mapping.
Momentum is anchored by education, state government commuters to adjacent Marion County, healthcare, and expanding agricultural/viticultural processing in the Willamette Valley. Modest residential expansion and industrial warehousing developments continue along Highway 22 and Highway 99W.
Under Oregon Measures 5 and 50, assessed property value growth is capped at 3% annually unless substantial improvements occur, keeping taxable assessed value below real market value. Combined levy rates average around $13 to $16 per $1,000 of assessed value across school, county, and local fire protection districts.
The county boasts extensive outdoor recreation along the Willamette River basin, Basket Slough National Wildlife Refuge, and the Rickreall Creek Trail system. Polk County is also a premier gateway to the Van Duzer Corridor and Eola-Amity Hills American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) featuring dozens of boutique wineries and estate vineyards.
Rental demand is steady, anchored by Western Oregon University students in Monmouth and commuters working in Salem or the Portland metro periphery. Asking rents hover around $1,977 monthly with modest multifamily inventory relative to single-family housing stock.
Polk County's economy is diversified across higher education, healthcare, government, viticulture, agriculture, and light manufacturing. Major institutions include Western Oregon University, Salem Health West Valley Hospital, and regional wood products and food processing employers.
Primary arterial corridors include Oregon Route 22, connecting to Interstate 5 in Salem, and Oregon Route 99W connecting south to Corvallis and north toward McMinnville. Public transit is coordinated through Cherriots (Salem-Keizer Transit) regional connector routes.
Long-term planning focuses on balancing Oregon's statewide land-use protections for prime agricultural acreage and forestlands with targeted urban-growth expansions in West Salem, Dallas, and Monmouth-Independence.
The Polk County Assessor assesses property under Oregon Constitutional Measures 5 and 50, maintaining both Real Market Value (RMV) and Maximum Assessed Value (MAV). Taxes are computed on the lower of the two figures (Assessed Value), with MAV growth restricted to a statutory 3% annual ceiling on existing properties.
Parcels are subject to overlapping special districts including Chemeketa Community College District, Polk Soil and Water Conservation District, Chemeketa Library District, and various rural fire protection districts (RFPDs).
Property insurance remains obtainable, though premiums have trended upward in heavily forested western foothills due to wildfire risk modeling. Homeowners along riparian floodplains of the Willamette River and Rickreall Creek routinely carry mandatory flood coverage.
- Enchanted Forest4.724.5 mi
- Wings & Waves Waterpark4.125.4 mi
- Get Air Trampoline Park4.324.9 mi
- Chuck E. Cheese4.125.1 mi
- Osborn Aquatic Center4.226 mi
- Spirit Mountain Casino4.210.1 mi
- Oregon State Fair & Exposition Center4.323.7 mi
- North American Aerospace Museum4.825.6 mi
- Reser Stadium4.627.4 mi
- Salem Convention Center4.622.1 mi
- Spirit Mountain Casino4.210.1 mi
- Drift Creek Falls Trail 1378 (Trail Head)4.717.8 mi
- Cristom Vineyards4.719.6 mi
- Independence4.515.8 mi
- Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge4.612.1 mi
- North American Aerospace Museum4.825.6 mi
- Neskowin Ghost Forest4.526.9 mi
- Gilbert House Children's Museum4.622.1 mi
- Bush's Pasture Park4.722.4 mi
- Willamette Heritage Center4.722.8 mi
- Drift Creek Falls Trail 1378 (Trail Head)4.717.8 mi
- Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge4.612.1 mi
- Moonshine Park4.719.7 mi
- Dallas City Park4.68.3 mi
- Beazell Memorial Forest4.819.4 mi
- Illahe Hills Country Club4.618.8 mi
- Cross Creek Golf Course4.49.6 mi
- Safeway48.8 mi
- Waremart4.214.6 mi
- Farmer John's Produce & Nursery4.419.1 mi
- Dollar General4.115.2 mi
- Central Plaza4.314.9 mi
Theme parks, venues, golf, airports, museums, water and shopping across the area from Google Maps, ranked by popularity within the radius shown.
The amenity base that shapes daily life and property demand in this county — what residents actually live with, and what the pipeline is adding.
Spanning over 2,400 acres, this sanctuary provides critical wintering habitat for dusky Canada geese, oak-savanna trails, and panoramic viewing decks that attract naturalists and hikers.
Located in Monmouth, this public university offers collegiate athletics, public lectures, community performing arts centers, and vibrant green quadrangles accessible to regional residents.
A scenic pedestrian-and-bicycle corridor winding along Rickreall Creek, anchoring community festivals, disc golf, swimming facilities, and wooded picnic meadows in downtown Dallas.
Internationally celebrated wine country hosting world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay estates, scenic rural vistas, and farm-to-table culinary destinations across eastern Polk County.
Data retrieved from U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts and ACS 5-Year County Profile for Polk County, OR (FIPS 41053).
applies when — Members of the Oregon National Guard or Reserve who are deployed.
Allows for the exemption of a portion of the assessed value of a primary residence from local property taxes for a period of three to five years in standard zones, or up to 15 years in rural zones.
Business Oregon Enterprise Zone statutes
applies when — Qualified disabled veterans or their surviving spouses meeting specific disability or service-connected criteria.
Provides a reduction in the assessed value of the primary residence, effectively lowering the property tax burden based on the exemption amount set by statute.
ORS 307.250
applies when — Delinquency of property taxes for a period of three years from the earliest date of delinquency.
The county may initiate foreclosure proceedings to seize the property to satisfy the tax lien. Owners have redemption rights prior to the judgment of foreclosure.
ORS 312.010
Tax is calculated on the lesser of Real Market Value (RMV) or Maximum Assessed Value (MAV). MAV is limited to a 3% annual growth rate unless physical changes occur to the property. The tax is the product of the taxable assessed value and the local taxing district's millage rate.
Oregon Constitution; ORS Chapter 308
Governance registry — every jurisdiction re-researches on a rolling 90-day cycle. Property reports compose these inherited burdens into a per-parcel ledger with conditional determinations. Informational only — not legal advice.