Albany, OR — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

Linn County · Albany-Lebanon · population 57,156

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Albany, OR
Image: Wikipedia · Albany, Oregon
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63
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Albany stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $438,413
1-year +0.6%
5-yr CAGR +4.6%
vs 5-yr peak -0.2%
Population +0.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-03$438k$193k$281k$369k$457k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
81/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,762/mo$1,399$1,637$1,876202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent108118100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 20.7
Lean rent

At a 20.7 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Albany. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
53 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
63 · w22%
Distance from peak
89 · w18%
Population growth
51 · w16%
Rent YoY
44 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
80 · w10%
Long thesis

Albany has held up across the cycle: home values at $438,413 with +4.6% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Albany's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Albany

Albany is a city in Linn County, Oregon, with an estimated population of 57,156. It anchors the Albany-Lebanon metro area. The median home value in Albany is $438,413 as of 2026-04, up 0.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Albany average $1,762 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (-0.1%). The composite momentum score is 63 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

Bull case

Held the highs: currently -0.2% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
The data is the data: Albany has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

Bear case

Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Albany (Wikipedia)

Albany is a city in and the county seat of Linn County, Oregon, and is the 11th most populous city in the state. Albany is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is predominantly a farming and manufacturing city that settlers founded around 1848. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Albany, Oregon was 56,472.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorAlex Johnson II (NP)
Area17.87 sq mi
Elevation226 ft
Established1864
NicknameHub of the Valley
Density3198.10/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Linn County right now.

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Linn County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Albany

7 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Perwinkle$410,933+0.4%
2Santiam$382,558+0.9%
3Oak$378,836+0.8%
4Broadway$369,095+2.3%
5Sunrise$367,774-0.3%
6Willamette$336,905+3.1%
7Jackson Hill$331,608-0.8%

Cities like Albany

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
47° / 35°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
82° / 53°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
178
~49% of year
Annual precip
28″ rain
12″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
High
Earthquake
High
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Albany listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Albany-Lebanon area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
75%
Very humid climate
Median household income
$80,400
Oregon state median
Top industries (state-level)
Tech (Intel)ManufacturingForestry

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Albany

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

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