ZIP Code 97850 — La Grande city, OR Demographics & Data

ZIP code 97850 covers La Grande, OR in Union County with a population of about 16,545.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 37.0 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area codes 458, 541; U.S. House district OR-2; the PORTLAND, OR media market.

La Grande, OR sits in a university / college context (near eastern oregon university (1.5 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 97850 is about $62,411 — about 17% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 18.0%; unemployment rate near 6.0%; 27.1% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 6.6 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Retail trade, and Food services; about 6.6% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 8.6 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 $264,700 — about 24% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $814 (about 30% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 57.9% (about 7.5 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 97850 in La Grande, OR, a household would need roughly $73,000 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 $1,700. That is about 17% above the local median household income ($62,411), 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 La Grande city, OR as Relatively Low (composite score 43.5), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (91.9) and flood (37.5). 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 La Grande city, OR show little to no average snow and around 17.4 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 840 for ZIP 97850 (La Grande 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.