Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 35/100
F
Median home value$394,200
Portland $559,400
Median rent$1,413/mo
Portland $1,724/mo
Cost-burdened households35%
Portland 35%
St. Helens
Columbia County14,258 residentsSt Helens SD 502
46
D
Suburbgrade score
43rd of 43 Portland suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by schools.
46
Portland median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for St. Helens yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 46 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What St. Helens is like to live in, by category
Bars show St. Helens against Portland. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 26/100
F
Within-state proficiency17th pct
Portland median 66th pct
Student–teacher ratio19.3
Portland median 18.5
Graduation rate80%
Portland median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 86/100
A−
Housing cost index76
Portland 100
Eff. tax rate0.67%
Portland 0.87%
Local sales tax0.00%
Portland median 0.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 38/100
D−
Mean commute30.3 min
Portland 25.0 min
Under 30 minutes49%
Portland 65%
Transit stops / sq mi0.3
Portland median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 57/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés31
Portland median 65 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Portland median 5 · within 2 miles
Parks28
Portland median 68 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 48/100
D+
Median household income$82,865
Portland $97,436
Unemployment3.6%
Portland 5.1%
Professional occupations30%
Portland 47%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for St. Helens yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
—
Do you feel safe walking after dark?
—
Can you walk to a grocery store?
—
Is it good for young children?
—
Are yards and streets well kept?
—
Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than St. Helens on schools
St. Helens's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbSchoolsOverall
Cedar Mill22 mi from St. HelensB 71 B− Oak Hills22 mi from St. HelensB 76 B Bethany20 mi from St. HelensB− 70 B− Ridgefield7 mi from St. HelensB− 62 C Portland23 mi from St. HelensC+ 67 C+ Hillsboro23 mi from St. HelensC− 65 C+ Within-state proficiency: EDFacts SY2021–22 · Graduation rate: EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19
Common questions about living in St. Helens
Is St. Helens, OR a good place to live?
St. Helens scores 46 out of 100, 43rd of 43 Portland suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on schools. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is St. Helens expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades A−. The median home is $394,200, 30% below the Portland median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.67%. $1,413/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in St. Helens?
Schools grade F. The districts serving St. Helens sit at the 17th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 80% graduation rate and a 19.3 student–teacher ratio. St. Helens is served by St Helens SD 502. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from St. Helens?
The mean commute is 30.3 min, with 49% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 13% working from home. Transit density is 0.3 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in St. Helens?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 31 restaurants and cafés and 28 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in St. Helens old or new?
The median home in St. Helens was built in 1985 — close to the Portland median of 1984. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 78% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.