Housing data for Elgin, OR

Elgin, OR has an estimated 1,549 residents and 646 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).

It is a city in Union County.

35.7% of households rent.

The median gross rent is $992 a month.

Figures last updated on .

Residents
1,549 (±251)
Housing units
646 (±94)
Households that rent
35.7%
Median gross rent
$992
Residents since 2015–2019
+7.0%

What stands out in Elgin

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 2.4% (±1.9 points) in Elgin, lower than in Union County (10.9%).

Working from home: 1.8% (±1.6 points) in Elgin, lower than in Union County (8.5%).

Median home value: $191,300 (±$24,329) in Elgin, lower than in Union County ($294,600).

Median real estate taxes: $1,672 (±$367) in Elgin, lower than in Union County ($2,446).

Housing in Elgin at a glance

  • Median rent: $992 median gross rent a month
  • Rent by bedrooms: $1,027 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Rent burden: 50.2% of renters pay 30% or more of income
  • Renters and owners: 35.7% of households rent
  • Income and affordability: $57,750 median household income
  • Home values: $191,300 median home value
  • Homeowner costs: $1,201 median monthly cost with a mortgage
  • Property taxes: $1,672 median real estate taxes a year
  • Types of homes: 2.4% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
  • Bedrooms: 69.5% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
  • Age of homes: 71.3% of homes were built before 1980
  • Vacancy rate: 4.7% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Heating fuel: 50.0% heat with utility gas
  • Commute and cars: 23.3 minutes average trip to work
  • Growth: +7.0% residents since 2015–2019
  • How long people stay: 13.1% moved in since 2020
  • Crowding and facilities: 0.2% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)

Elgin against Union County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
ElginUnion CountyOregonUnited States
Residents1,549 (±251)26,144 (exact)4,254,293 (exact)334,922,499
Housing units646 (±94)11,829 (±34)1,857,992 (±637)143,775,355
Households that rent35.7% (±10.9 points)34.5% (±2.5 points)36.7% (±0.4 points)34.8%
Median gross rent$992 (±$95)$982 (±$47)$1,525 (±$10)$1,413
Median household income$57,750 (±$15,463)$65,661 (±$3,326)$83,011 (±$573)$80,734
Median home value$191,300 (±$24,329)$294,600 (±$14,624)$477,600 (±$1,400)$332,700
Median real estate taxes (a year)$1,672 (±$367)$2,446 (±$111)$3,876 (±$17)$3,119
Built before 198071.3% (±14.0 points)61.4% (±3.8 points)49.1% (±0.4 points)49.7%
Average commute23.3 minutes (±6.4)16.3 minutes (±1.3)23.0 minutes (±0.2)26.4 minutes
Households with broadband79.2% (±10.9 points)83.7% (±2.5 points)92.4% (±0.2 points)91.0%
Median age of residents36.6 years (±7.9)40.0 years (±0.6)40.4 years (±0.2)38.9 years

Elgin covers 1.0 square miles of land, about 1,532 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).

How Elgin has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
2015–20192020–2024Amount of changeVerdict
Residents1,448 (±204)1,549 (±251)+7.0%Not a measurable change
Housing units758 (±86)646 (±94)−14.8%Not a measurable change
Median gross rent$699 (±$55)$992 (±$95)+41.9%Up after inflation
Median home value$134,400 (±$16,851)$191,300 (±$24,329)+42.3%No measurable change after inflation
Median household income$41,719 (±$6,886)$57,750 (±$15,463)+38.4%No measurable change after inflation
Median owner cost with a mortgage$1,089 (±$111)$1,201 (±$117)+10.3%No measurable change after inflation
Median real estate taxes$1,385 (±$161)$1,672 (±$367)+20.7%No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent26.0% (±8.7 points)35.7% (±10.9 points)+9.7 percentage pointsNot a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate0.0% (±16.7 points)4.7% (±7.6 points)+4.7 percentage pointsNot a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Crime reported to police in Union County

Elgin has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Union County as a whole.

In 2025, the police departments that report for Union County recorded 239 violent and 1,527 property crimes per 100,000 residents.

A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.

Places near Elgin

Nearest places with Census figures, by straight-line distance
PlaceDistanceMedian gross rentMedian home valueHouseholds that rent
Summerville6.5 mi—$275,0000.0%
Imbler7.4 mi—$275,0007.8%
Island City17 mi$950$295,10018.9%
La Grande18 mi$968$278,70048.9%
Wallowa19 mi$699$336,10015.0%
Cove19 mi$1,390$328,00028.9%
Lostine24 mi$1,368—28.6%
Union25 mi$891$231,40031.0%

Places in Oregon most like Elgin

PlaceMedian gross rentMedian home valueMedian household incomeHouseholds that rent
Union$891$231,400$65,04731.0%
Myrtle Creek$1,013$239,900$55,92141.1%
Wasco$1,229$229,300$65,00025.8%
Riddle$858$228,600$66,76138.7%
Glendale$1,075$216,700$43,46634.4%
Nyssa$916$204,300$69,18336.4%

Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Oregon.

HUD Fair Market Rent for Elgin, fiscal year 2027

Union County, OR, dollars a month
Studio1 bedroom2 bedrooms3 bedrooms4 bedrooms
$776$916$1,114$1,543$1,862

HUD income limits for Elgin, fiscal year 2026

Union County, OR, annual household income
Household sizeExtremely low (30%)Very low (50%)Low (80%)
1 person$18,100$30,150$48,250
2 people$21,640$34,450$55,150
3 people$27,320$38,750$62,050
4 people$33,000$43,050$68,900
5 people$38,680$46,500$74,450
6 people$44,360$49,950$79,950
7 people$50,040$53,400$85,450
8 people$55,720$56,850$90,950

These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Union County, OR, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $86,100.

A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Elgin

What is the average rent in Elgin, OR?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Elgin is $992 (±$95) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

Are renters in Elgin rent-burdened?

50.2% of renting households in Elgin pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many renters are there in Elgin?

Elgin has an estimated 223 (±88) renting households, 35.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the median household income in Elgin?

The median household income in Elgin is $57,750 (±$15,463) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the average home value in Elgin, OR?

The Census Bureau publishes the median: $191,300 (±$24,329) for owner-occupied homes in Elgin (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the average mortgage payment in Elgin?

The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Elgin, OR is $1,201 (±$117) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.

Is Elgin growing?

In Elgin, the number of residents went from 1,448 in 2015–2019 to 1,549 in 2020–2024 (+7.0%), not a measurable change.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Elgin city, Oregon (place:22550, in state:41).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.

Figures last updated on .

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