ZIP Code 97050 — Rufus city, OR Demographics & Data

ZIP code 97050 covers Rufus, OR in Sherman County with a population of about 225.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 53.9 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.

Rufus, OR reads as a military / base-oriented community on US5’s intent model (elevated veteran share (19.4%) and/or base-related place names). Service members and families often look up Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates, on-base mail (PSC / P.O. Box) addresses, and nearby ZIP demographics when relocating.

US5 shows 2026 DoD BAH locality rates for this ZIP’s Military Housing Area on this page (pay grade × with/without dependents). Treat the table as a planning reference and confirm entitlement with your finance office or the official DTMO BAH lookup.

Median household income in ZIP 97050 is about $55,833 — about 26% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 20.0%; unemployment rate near 4.3%; 12.7% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 21.0 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Retail trade, Transportation, and Food services; a mean commute of about 62.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $173,400 — about 50% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $635 (about 45% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 79.8% (about 14.4 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 97050 in Rufus, OR, a household would need roughly $48,000 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 $1,114. That sits below the local median household income ($55,833), suggesting the typical household income is closer to a workable buy-in level under these assumptions. 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 Rufus city, OR as Very Low (composite score 2.9), which is relatively lower than many U.S. communities. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (90.2) and flood (4.6). 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 Rufus city, OR show little to no average snow and around 16.5 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 11 for ZIP 97050 (Rufus 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.