ZIP Code 97051 — St. Helens city, OR Demographics & Data

ZIP code 97051 covers St. Helens, OR in Columbia County with a population of about 17,589.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 38.6 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area codes 503, 971; U.S. House district OR-1; the PORTLAND, OR media market.

Median household income in ZIP 97051 is about $85,837 — about 14% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 8.5%; unemployment rate near 4.2%; 16.5% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 17.2 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Retail trade; about 9.3% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 5.9 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $369,300 — about 6% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,142 (about even with the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 65.5% (roughly in line with the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 97051 in St. Helens, OR, a household would need roughly $102,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $2,372. That is about 19% above the local median household income ($85,837), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for St. Helens city, OR as Relatively Low (composite score 70.7), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (68.2) and wildfire (30.5). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for St. Helens city, OR show little to no average snow.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 893 for ZIP 97051 (St. Helens city, OR) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.