Mill City, Oregon

City in Linn County · population 1,971 (2020 Census) · spans 2 counties

Median home: $297,600
Household income: $69,091
Jan low / Jul high: 36° / 80°
Snow a year: 10 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 0
Median age: 37.8

Mill City is a city of 1,971 people in Linn County, Oregon. The median home is worth $297,600, below the typical Oregon town ($394,200). It ranks quieter than 86% of Oregon towns, better for a vacation home than 82% of Oregon towns.

How Mill City ranks

Percentile among Oregon towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Oregon towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Mill City is worth $297,600, below the typical Oregon town ($394,200). Homes cost about 4.3 times the median household income of $69,091, which is more affordable than 79% of Oregon towns. Median rent is $1,402 a month. 68.4% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Oregon towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Mill City	Typical Oregon town
Median home value	$297,600	$394,200
Median rent	$1,402	$1,312
Median household income	$69,091	$76,221
Home value ÷ income	4.3×	5.1×
Homeownership	68.4%	71.1%
Median year built	1971	1981
Seasonal / vacation homes	2.5%	—

Who lives in Mill City

People	Mill City	Typical Oregon town
Median age	37.8	41.7
Age 65 and over	15.5%	20.1%
Under 18	27.6%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.0%	23.2%
Below the poverty line	17.5%	10.8%
Veterans	9.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.8%	—
Work from home	10.3%	12.2%
Average commute	33.4 min	23.2 min
Homes with broadband	94.8%	92.4%

Weather in Mill City

July highs average 80.3°F and January lows 36.3°F. About 93.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 9.6 inches of snow (typical Oregon town: 3.1 in). Expect about 13 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 46 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Detroit Dam station (11.1 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

NOAA's Storm Events Database has no tornado within 10 miles of Mill City since 1950.

Severe weather in Linn County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Linn County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 2 deaths recorded.

Linn County has been included in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, biological.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
April 7, 2026	Severe Storm	DR-4907: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
April 13, 2024	Severe Storm	DR-4768: Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Landslides, And Mudslides
May 4, 2021	Severe Storm	DR-4599: Severe Winter Storm
September 15, 2020	Fire	DR-4562: Wildfires And Straight-Line Winds
September 10, 2020	Fire	EM-3542: Wildfires

Jobs and pay in Linn County

Linn County had 48,603 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $57,436 a year. Unemployment was 4.1% in 2023; in Mill City itself the ACS puts it at 8.2%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Mill City

2 public schools with 567 students, about 14.5 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Santiam Junior/Senior High School	6-12	312	13.6
Santiam Elementary School	K-5	255	15.9

Towns near Mill City

Gates, OR
2.8 mi · 548 people · home $349,200
Lyons, OR
6.9 mi · 1,202 people · home $488,900
Stayton, OR
16.3 mi · 8,244 people · home $409,700
Sublimity, OR
16.4 mi · 2,967 people · home $480,800
Lacomb, OR
17.4 mi · 575 people · home —
Scio, OR
18.7 mi · 956 people · home $404,800
Aumsville, OR
20.3 mi · 4,234 people · home $296,400
Silverton, OR
22.9 mi · 10,484 people · home $484,800

Mill City questions

Is Mill City, Oregon a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Mill City scores better for retirees than 52% of Oregon towns and quieter than 86%. 15.5% of residents are 65 or older (median age 37.8).

How much does a house cost in Mill City?

The median owner-occupied home in Mill City is valued at $297,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $69,091, so homes cost about 4.3 times income. Median rent is $1,402 a month.

What is the weather like in Mill City?

July highs average 80.3°F and January lows 36.3°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 93.6 inches of precipitation a year and 9.6 inches of snow.

Does Mill City get tornadoes?

No tornado has been recorded within 10 miles of Mill City in NOAA's Storm Events Database since 1950.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Mill City's Census boundary (GEOID 4148150). Comparisons use the median of Oregon towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.