Living in Dallas, Oregon: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3.6% above the U.S. average in the Salem metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood42 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.3 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 12.4 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town6 public schools: 3 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school and 1 other.
A hospital close bySalem Health West Valley is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityPortland is about 53 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Dallas meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $389,100U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 7.9%Polk County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,209 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $71,549U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 68%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $2,935 a yearOregon: $3,876
Homes built before 1940: 11%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 13%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 103.6U.S. average = 100 (the Salem metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 7.9% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Salem metro area, not Dallas alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 17,8902020: 17,002
Median age: 40.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 23%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 19%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 23%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 8%U.S.: 6%
College students: 5%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (30%); retail (14%); construction (9%)
Unemployment rate: 7%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 27 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 11%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 16%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Salem Health West Valley, Dallas, OR, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Salem Hospital, Salem, OR, about 14 miles away. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

6 public schools in Dallas, run by Dallas SD 2.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Oregon's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 70%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 86%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 35°F
July average high: 82°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 17 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 49 a year
Rain and melted snow: 81.2 inches a year
Snow: 10 inches a year
Elevation: 321 feet

Weather stations: Dallas 2 NE (2 miles away) and Falls City 2 SSW (9 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Salem, ORCity of 182,00014

Portland, ORMetro of 2.5 million53

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Salem, Portland.

Polk County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Dallas Downtown Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site58 miles

Read about Dallas's history on Wikipedia.

Know Dallas?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Monmouth, OR11,500 people, 6 miles
Independence, OR10,200 people, 7 miles
Falls City, OR1,000 people, 7 miles
Sheridan, OR6,200 people, 13 miles
Willamina, OR2,300 people, 14 miles
Amity, OR1,800 people, 15 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.