Crime
For most people, the quality of living environment is greatly impacted by crime or lack thereof. Communities in the region have maintained the “small town safety factor” that is attracting many residents of more densely populated urban areas where personal and property safety are an issue. Below are in the West personal and property crime statistics comparing Bend and major cities in the West. The numbers are stated as an index, where 100 represents the national average and below 100 is better.
| Crime Statistic |
Bend
OR |
Phoenix
AZ |
Portland OR |
Medford OR |
San Fran-cisco CA |
Sacramento CA |
San Diego CA |
Seattle
WA |
Salt Lake
City UT |
| Personal Crime Risk |
37 |
169 |
171 |
72 |
197 |
171 |
112 |
128 |
152 |
| Property Crime Risk |
132 |
223 |
263 |
151 |
134 |
282 |
118 |
263 |
296 |
Source: CNNMoney.com
air quality
In addition to clean water, Central Oregon boast top notch air quality. Below we show the percent of days that the air quality index (AQI) is rated good or better.
| Air Quality Index |
Bend
OR |
Phoenix
AZ |
Portland OR |
Medford OR |
San Fran-cisco CA |
Sacramento CA |
San Diego CA |
Seattle
WA |
Salt Lake
City UT |
Percent of days air
is good or better |
94.2% |
22.2% |
94.8% |
79.2% |
89.3% |
28.8% |
52.9% |
70.7% |
62.2% |
Source: CNNMoney.com
Water Quality
Because of its volcanic structure that serves as a filter, Central Oregon's water quality is high. To review water quality reports issued by specific communities, see our Utility page on Water and Sewer. You may also wish to examine the report on water quality in the Deschutes Basin from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
From a livability standpoint, EDCO Profiles and Data - Demographic, Consumer Expenditure, and Business/Workforce from Oregon Prospector in the Publications section may also prove to be useful.