The story of this market
The typical home in Wallowa County, Oregon sells for about $487,500, or $227 per square foot.
Prices are up +118.6% from a year ago, so sellers still have some momentum. Homes take about 35 days to sell. Over the long run, values in this county have grown 217% since 2000. The biggest natural hazard here is wildfire, which FEMA rates relatively high. HUD's fair market rent for a two-bedroom is $1,116 a month.
HUD sets the fair market rent for a 2-bedroom at $1,116 a month. FEMA's National Risk Index rates overall hazard risk here as Relatively High.
Price climate
Every year of price change, 2000–2025
-4.7%
2025
Each stripe is one year's median price change across the area's census tracts (FHFA repeat-sales index). Deep blue is a strong gain year, red a falling year. Best: 2006 (+25.1%). Worst: 2012 (-10.5%). Hover to read a year.
Monthly price momentum
Home values since 2015
+0.3%
OR · past 12 months
Freddie Mac House Price Index, single-family homes, monthly through 2026-08. Each line starts at 100 in January 2015, so a reading of 180 means prices are up 80% since then.
Rent benchmark
Fair market rent by size
$1,545
3-bed / month
HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal 2027, for this county. A typical rent for a modest unit, used to set housing-voucher payments.
Neighborhood price trend
Long-run price trend, 2000–2025
-4.7%
2025 change
FHFA repeat-sales index, median of 3 census tracts in this county (2000 = 100). Bars are each year's median change.
Natural hazard exposure
The area's risk shape
92
Relatively High
FEMA National Risk Index. Each spoke is a hazard ranked nationally, where 100 is the most exposed. Expected annual loss: $9,682,581.
Mortgage activity
Home lending in this county
76.4%
2018 approval rate
| Year | Applications | Loans made | Approval | Investor share | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 324 | 175 | 76.4% | 4.8% | $245,000 |
CFPB Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records: every mortgage application reported by lenders for homes in this county. Approval rate is approved ÷ decided (withdrawn and incomplete files excluded). Investor share and home value are the median census tract.
Wallowa County, Oregon
The Wallowa County housing market is experiencing significant price volatility due to extremely low inventory and high demand for rural, recreational properties. While median prices have surged, the low volume of closed sales suggests a market constrained by supply rather than broad-based economic expansion.
No ARED distress-ledger coverage for this county yet — the foreclosure ingest rotates the national county directory, and filings appear here once the county's posted notices are read. Key-figure check: no independent anchor retained yet — first-researched cycles establish the anchor baseline this pass.
Select a city to expand its ZIP intel reports beneath · 3 cities · 4 ZIP reports
Median prices moved up 0.1% year over year.
Homes spend a median of 88 days on market with 8.1 months of supply — a slower-moving market.
14% of listings have cut prices · homes sell at 97.27% of asking — demand is running ahead of supply.
no recorded foreclosure-ledger notices (0.0 per 10,000 residents) · unemployment 5.5% · poverty 7.8% — a stable, low-distress profile.
ACS 2024 5-year estimates. Aggregate published statistics for this county — never individual records, and never an attribute of any individual property or resident.
Deterministic aggregate of 4 researched ZIP reports — sales_count-weighted (population fallback); per point, children lacking the value or its weight are excluded. Tax rates, sentiment and context notes are tier-native and never roll.
No researched properties in this county yet — the property base layer populates as property research runs, and each property feeds its ZIP's roll-up.
researched Sep 21
researched Oct 5
researched Sep 26
researched Sep 26
| 97828 | Enterprise | $369,600 | $215 | +2.4% | 88 | 97.5% | 12% | 7.2 | 42 | $888 | researched Sep 21 |
| 97842 | Imnaha | $414,254 | $215 | +2.1% | 120 | 96% | 15% | 18 | 65 | $1,200 | researched Oct 5 |
| 97846 | Joseph | $649,900 | $255 | +2.4% | 120 | 96.5% | 15% | 9.3 | 28 | $1,450 | researched Sep 26 |
| 97885 | Wallowa | $320,000 | $215 | -5.4% | 48 | 98.2% | 15% | 3.2 | 12 | $1,450 | researched Sep 26 |
Figures are each ZIP report's own latest research — the county roll-up aggregates them sales_count-weighted (population fallback); ZIPs cycle quarterly.
The region faces significant wildfire risks common to Eastern Oregon's forested terrain, which influences local property insurance availability and premium costs.
The economy is anchored by agriculture, livestock, forest products, and a growing recreation sector, with limited large-scale industrial development.
Property taxes are assessed by the Wallowa County Assessor based on real market value, with rates influenced by local school district and municipal levies.
The county is a premier destination for outdoor recreation, featuring the Wallowa Mountains, Wallowa Lake, and extensive wilderness areas that support hiking, fishing, and tourism.
The rental market is characterized by limited inventory and high demand driven by seasonal tourism and a small permanent resident base.
The economy is primarily driven by agriculture, livestock production, timber/forest products, and a robust tourism and recreation industry.
Transportation is primarily served by state highways; there is no major public transit infrastructure, and the county is geographically isolated.
The Wallowa County Assessor maintains property records and determines real market values for tax assessment purposes.
The county is served by various local school districts and special service districts for fire protection and water management.
Property insurance markets are increasingly sensitive to wildfire risk, leading to higher premiums and stricter underwriting requirements for rural properties.
- Joseph Canyon Viewpoint4.821.9 mi
- The Bookloft4.818.8 mi
- Wallowa Lake Marina4.824.3 mi
- Safeway419 mi
Theme parks, venues, golf, airports, museums, water and shopping across the area from Google Maps, ranked by popularity within the radius shown.
The amenity base that shapes daily life and property demand in this county — what residents actually live with, and what the pipeline is adding.
A glacial lake offering boating, fishing, and scenic views, serving as a primary tourist anchor for the county.
Extensive protected wilderness area providing world-class hiking, backpacking, and equestrian trails.
Data retrieved from Census Reporter and Data Commons.
applies when — Members of the Oregon National Guard or Reserve who are deployed.
Allows for the exemption of a portion of the assessed value of a primary residence from local property taxes for a period of three to five years in standard zones, or up to 15 years in rural zones.
Business Oregon Enterprise Zone statutes
applies when — Qualified disabled veterans or their surviving spouses meeting specific disability or service-connected criteria.
Provides a reduction in the assessed value of the primary residence, effectively lowering the property tax burden based on the exemption amount set by statute.
ORS 307.250
applies when — Delinquency of property taxes for a period of three years from the earliest date of delinquency.
The county may initiate foreclosure proceedings to seize the property to satisfy the tax lien. Owners have redemption rights prior to the judgment of foreclosure.
ORS 312.010
Tax is calculated on the lesser of Real Market Value (RMV) or Maximum Assessed Value (MAV). MAV is limited to a 3% annual growth rate unless physical changes occur to the property. The tax is the product of the taxable assessed value and the local taxing district's millage rate.
Oregon Constitution; ORS Chapter 308
Governance registry — every jurisdiction re-researches on a rolling 90-day cycle. Property reports compose these inherited burdens into a per-parcel ledger with conditional determinations. Informational only — not legal advice.