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City DNA · Medford, Oregon

Medford
DNA

Southern Oregon's hub between the Cascades and the Siskiyous.

Source

Medford figures are drawn from Census ACS 2023, OpenStreetMap, ODOT traffic counts and the Census Building Permits Survey, refreshed monthly. OpenStreetMap business coverage is community-maintained and can undercount some categories. Items marked Mock (comparable-district stories, some institution headcounts) are curated illustrations.

PeopleSource
  • City population
    ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimate, city limits (B01003).
    85,794people
  • Jackson County population
    ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimate for the county (metro area proxy).
    222,563people
  • 5-year population growth
    ACS 2018 → 2023 5-year estimates (80,051 → 85,794).
    +7.2%
  • Median household income
    ACS 2019–2023 (B19013), 2023 inflation-adjusted dollars.
    $70,497
  • Per-capita income
    ACS 2019–2023 (B19301).
    $35,707
  • Median age
    ACS 2019–2023 (B01002).
    39.1years
  • Households
    ACS 2019–2023 (B11001).
    34,510
  • Employed residents (16+)
    Of 41,185 in the civilian labor force. ACS 2019–2023 (B23025).
    38,978
Major industriesSource
  • Health care & social assistance
    8,356 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    21.4% of employed residents
  • Retail trade
    6,323 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    16.2% of employed residents
  • Professional, scientific & administrative
    3,104 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    8% of employed residents
  • Accommodation & food services
    2,648 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    6.8% of employed residents
  • Manufacturing
    2,477 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    6.4% of employed residents
  • Other services
    2,461 employed residents. ACS 2019–2023 industry table C24030 (where residents work, by industry).
    6.3% of employed residents
Housing & developmentSource
  • Residential units permitted (2025)
    326 single-family, 293 in 2+ unit buildings; $137M declared value. Census Building Permits Survey, annual place file.
    619units
  • Units permitted 2023–2025
    47% multifamily. 2025: 619, 2024: 372, 2023: 828.
    1,819units
  • Permit history
    Total residential units authorized per year, Census Building Permits Survey.
    2020: 285 · 2021: 437 · 2022: 310 · 2023: 828 · 2024: 372 · 2025: 619
  • Units in tracked major projects
    7 hand-curated projects from local news reporting (see growth layer). Not exhaustive.
    ~1,050units
Retail & restaurant environmentSource
  • Named businesses mapped
    OpenStreetMap features with a name and a commercial tag inside city limits. OSM coverage is community-maintained and under-counts offices and home businesses.
    1,111
  • Restaurants per 10k residents
    179 restaurants and fast food places in OSM ÷ ACS population.
    20.3
  • Independent share of businesses
    Businesses without a chain brand tag in OSM. Treats untagged chains as independent, so this is an upper bound.
    66%
  • Hotels & motels mapped
    OSM tourism=hotel/motel inside city limits.
    44
Business categories per capita vs. comparable-city median

What Medford has
a lot of

  • Hotels240%
    Medford
    5.1
    Comparable
    2.1
  • Healthcare162%
    Medford
    17.0
    Comparable
    10.5
  • Recreation135%
    Medford
    2.5
    Comparable
    1.8
  • Retail130%
    Medford
    15.7
    Comparable
    12.1
  • Home Improvement120%
    Medford
    5.0
    Comparable
    4.2
  • Grocery119%
    Medford
    2.2
    Comparable
    1.9

What Medford has
relatively little of

  • Coworking / Office0%
    Medford
    0.0
    Comparable
    0.1
  • Bars / Breweries43%
    Medford
    1.8
    Comparable
    4.1
  • Fitness62%
    Medford
    1.4
    Comparable
    2.3
  • Beauty / Personal Care77%
    Medford
    6.1
    Comparable
    7.8
  • Childcare78%
    Medford
    0.3
    Comparable
    0.5
  • Apparel82%
    Medford
    2.3
    Comparable
    2.8

Under-represented categories are the starting point for the opportunity engine — not a conclusion on their own.

Commercial centers · business density

Where business concentrates

  • Downtown Medford248 businesses · 120.6 per 1k residents
  • North Medford231 businesses · 58.8 per 1k residents
  • South Medford179 businesses · 75.8 per 1k residents
  • Airport / Crater Lake Hwy122 businesses · 125.0 per 1k residents
  • Medical District109 businesses · 27.7 per 1k residents
  • Southeast Medford81 businesses · 22.1 per 1k residents
  • West Medford62 businesses · 14.1 per 1k residents
  • East Medford36 businesses · 7.4 per 1k residents
Emerging districts

Where the city is moving

Southeast Medford
growth · new housing · underserved
+38.6%
5-yr pop.
Closest cluster: Wellness Cluster — 6 of 6 components present.
South Medford
interchange · grocery · medical · commuter
+11.6%
5-yr pop.
Closest cluster: Neighborhood Social Hub — 7 of 7 components present.
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