Eight in ten own their home, and nearly half pay nothing a month.
The report’s own headline findings, in its order, each with its printed page.
- 45% of respondents reported little or no monthly housing payment, which the report says likely understates average housing costs. (p.86)
- Renters were 20% of respondents and families with children at home 17%. (p.86)
- 52% of respondents reported 2023 household incomes at or below 80% of the county's median family income ($69,999 or less); 25% were between 80% and 120%; 23% above 120%. (p.90)
- 41% of respondents were over 65. (p.9)
- 86% said their current housing meets their needs; 28% were interested in moving. (p.92)
- 18 respondents of 98 (21%) owned a second residential property; 78% of those properties were in Wallowa County and 11 were in Joseph; six were long-term rentals. (p.96)
137 answered; 106 counted as Joseph.
Rural Engagement and Vitality (REV) Center and Eastern Oregon University, for the City of Joseph, with ECOnorthwest. Method as the report states it on p.87.
- Answers
- 137 in all, 106 of them counted as Joseph.
- Who counted as Joseph
- Lives in the City of Joseph, or Joseph is the nearest community to the primary residence, or the zip code is 97846.
- Answers from elsewhere
- 23% of responses; most from Enterprise or the 97828 zip code; reported only as themes, not in the question results.
- Who could answer
- Respondents 18 and older.
- How it went out
- Digital and on paper at Joseph City Hall; notices in the city's utility bills on November 1 and December 1, 2024; REV Center and city Facebook posts; printed flyers in public places in Joseph and Enterprise.
- When
- Responses accepted from November 28, 2024, for about 30 days; the report prints the closing date as December 22, 2025, which its own description of a 30-day window shows to be December 22, 2024.
- Before release
- Piloted with city stakeholders before release.
- The report’s caveat
- The report's footnote 2: the small number of respondents means the results are not statistically significant and no definitive conclusions about all Joseph residents can be drawn.
Households at or below 80% of the median income pay a median of nothing a month.
Median family income by monthly housing cost, as printed. The page's prose gives $479 as the average for the lowest bracket; the table gives $469. Both are recorded here.
| Income band | Median monthly cost | Average | Average, excluding $0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| At or below 80% of MFI | $0 | $469 | $1,101 |
| 80% to 120% of MFI | $0 | $899 | $1,880 |
| At or above 120% of MFI | $1,245 | $1,410 | $1,267 |
What did each question find?
Closed questions are drawn as figures with their numbers in a table behind each. The two histograms are read from the printed charts to the nearest point and say so. Open-text questions open to the answers in the writers’ own words, as printed.
Q3.1 · 2 answered · Appendix D, p.101Other (please specify)2 answers, as printed
- Seasonal air bnb
- Apartment above business
Nearly half pay nothing a month; the next largest group pays $1,000 to $1,500
How much is the house payment/rent per month for your primary residence? Do not include taxes or utilities. If you live in a mobile home park, include the amount you pay for your space. Write 0 if you pay nothing.
Almost 50% of respondents do not have a monthly payment for housing; the next largest share pay between $1,000 and $1,500 (page 89). Appendix D, p.102.
Source: Rural Engagement and Vitality (REV) Center and Eastern Oregon University, for the City of Joseph, April 2025; survey open from November 28, 2024 for about 30 days
The numbers as a table
| Share of answers, approximate | |
|---|---|
| $0 | 47% |
| $250 | 1% |
| $500 | 6% |
| $750 | 7% |
| $1,000 | 13% |
| $1,250 | 6% |
| $1,500 | 3% |
| $1,750 | 6% |
| $2,000 | 4% |
| $2,250 | 1% |
| $2,500 | 1% |
| $2,750 | 0% |
| $3,000 | 2% |
| $3,250 | 1% |
Q6.1 · 1 answered · Appendix D, p.103Please share the amount of assistance you receive per month.1 answer, as printed
- 10
Q8.1 · 4 answered · Appendix D, p.104Other (please describe)4 answers, as printed
- Everything available was for sale and not for rent
- Multiple homes listed for sale while occupied
- Very hard to find a rental property
- Availability
Q8.2 · 7 answered · Appendix D, p.104If you would like to provide more detail on these barriers, please do so below.7 answers, as printed
- Availability, variety.
- Moved multiple times due to rental home being listed for sale.
- Solo parent stigma
- Housing in this county is incredibly expensive. Especially in Joseph, or enterprise. Which is the two towns in the county with any decent job opportunities that can almost pay enough to afford to live here.
- Not sure if this is where to put it, but in addition to rent we manage and pay for some maintenance of our rental, including contracted and DIY work, in cooperation with the owners. This includes things like annual furnace maintenance as well as big projects like roofing and painting. Our lease payment doesn't cover utilities so we pay those separately and since this home was built in the 1940s energy costs are high.
- When I first moved here 2016, I could not find an affordable home or apartment for long term. It took me two years and two big moves before I finally found the right place.
- Many rentals don't allow pets and are also astronomical in price
Q10.1 · 2 answered · Appendix D, p.106Other2 answers, as printed
- Seasonsl
- high utility costs, water table is also dropping a lot for well
Low noise, a good neighborhood and privacy are the features most often called very important
Please rate the importance of the following features to you when choosing a place to live.
Where the chart prints no label for the smallest share, that share is the remainder to 100 and is marked derived. The share beside each bar is the share who called the feature very important. Appendix D, p.106.
Source: Rural Engagement and Vitality (REV) Center and Eastern Oregon University, for the City of Joseph, April 2025; survey open from November 28, 2024 for about 30 days
The numbers as a table
| Unimportant | Neutral | Very important | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low noise level | 2% (derived) | 14% | 84% |
| Good neighborhood | 2% (derived) | 16% | 82% |
| Privacy | 2% (derived) | 24% | 74% |
| Storage | 4% (derived) | 30% | 66% |
| Fenced yard | 9% | 31% | 61% |
| Affordable rent | 11% | 28% | 60% |
| View | 8% | 37% | 55% |
| Size/number of bedrooms | 4% (derived) | 42% | 54% |
| Garden | 7% | 40% | 53% |
| Work area/shop or barn | 13% | 36% | 51% |
| Large lot size | 9% | 43% | 48% |
| Low utility costs | 4% (derived) | 49% | 47% |
| Rural setting | 7% | 51% | 41% |
| Open area/close to parks | 18% | 42% | 40% |
| Children's play area | 47% | 36% | 17% |
| Americans with Disabilities Act compliance | 41% | 45% | 14% |
Q13.1 · 4 answered · Appendix D, p.108Other reasons or additional details4 answers, as printed
- priced out of market by investors from outside the county
- Buying A house
- No where to live while trying to sell current house, can't find storage if needed something small and temporary. Home costs plus high interest rates make it not feasible to by a different home.
- Downsizing but lack of affordable replacement property
Q14.1 · 6 answered · Appendix D, p.109In five years, what type of housing do you think will best suit your needs? Other6 answers, as printed
- ADA
- My home needs severe remodeling to see me into the future, new floors, roof, bathrooms and I am retired and on a fixed income so funding could be difficult!
- A home with a shop to operate business from
- 55 Alive Complex
- Cost will be most significant factor in determining the type of housing that can meet our needs, energy efficiency and low maintenance would be important
- Single family outside of city limits 5-10 acres with outbuildings and zoned for a home business.
Q15 · 31 answered · Appendix D, p.110Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your present or future housing needs?19 answers, as printed
- no
- dependable utilities would make a differnece. utilities in the county (electrical) are unreliable with frequent outages
- Yes i have stayed in a tent for hunting and camping. The question was weird
- Harsh Winter Climate and access to healthcare and other amenities are also reasons why we may want to move from this area
- Safe walking paths for kids along highway to town / school. We live just outside of joseph and highway is only option for kids to get into town.
- Like our privacy
- It took a very long time and lots of patience to find our current home.
- One thing that is needed for senior homeowners is a service that will do minor repairs for a reasonable price.
- We absolutely do not need any more subsidized housing in Joseph, or Wallowa County
- I am interested in converting my 4 bedroom house into a shared living arrangement with other older retired folks as I get older, I am 67 now so am thinking ahead to my future and that of my friends and family. Currently there are very little choices for the elderly in WC!!! We need to change that!!!
- I will need to do extensive work to adapt my current home to my senior needs- bathing facilities, ramps over steps, railings and safety handles, kitchen and laundry rooms
- Joseph needs housing for the elderly retired, who need adult housing, handicap accessible, before going into assisted living.
- I listed my home as a 5 month lease during winter with no responses from the community.
- My neighbor built a ginormous structure that completely blocks my view of the mountains and most of my sun. He was given a permit by the city with no notification to me. It is unacceptable for the lack of ordinance to protect our precious mountain views and solar gain.
- It would be good to know the number of 2nd homes and/or vacation homes within the city limits, as those are a major issue when it comes to housing inventory and affordable housing. The city/county should consider implementing a significant tax on vacation homes (which are empty most of the year), as the state of Hawaii does., because until we solve that problem, affordable housing will continue as this part of Oregon is promoted as a tourist destination.
- In future, a group home for single seniors would be nice.
- I need suitable housing for elderly seniors
- Need for retirement housing
- Would be very helpful to have a smaller home (under current square footage allowed) for my son to live in so he can help me care for his disabled father.
The printed page clips the list; 19 of 31 responses are legible. The rest are in the response-level export the Record has asked REV for.
Q23 · Appendix D, p.113. Is this (third) property... No data; the report prints 'No data found'. No respondent indicated owning more than four residential properties.
The largest age groups among the 92 who answered are 65 to 70 and 70 to 75
What is your age?
41% of respondents are over the age of 65 (page 9). The one entry under five is as printed. Appendix D, p.114.
Source: Rural Engagement and Vitality (REV) Center and Eastern Oregon University, for the City of Joseph, April 2025; survey open from November 28, 2024 for about 30 days
The numbers as a table
| Share of answers, approximate | |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1% |
| 20 | 1% |
| 25 | 4% |
| 30 | 3% |
| 35 | 8% |
| 40 | 8% |
| 45 | 10% |
| 50 | 8% |
| 55 | 4% |
| 60 | 9% |
| 65 | 16% |
| 70 | 16% |
| 75 | 4% |
| 80 | 5% |
| 85 | 2% |
Most are content; those who are not name cost.
The report’s discussion themes and the next steps it recommends, in the Record’s summary of its words.
- Cost is a significant barrier for a minority: most respondents are content, and those who are not name cost; renters who met barriers describe them as financial.
- Outright ownership: almost half report no monthly payment; residents in their homes ten years or more and at or below 80% of MFI were the most likely to pay nothing.
- Priorities: privacy, low noise and a good neighborhood rated highest; ADA compliance, parks and children's play areas lowest. The report notes this may make policy change hard where it is seen to add noise or reduce privacy.
- Elder care: 63% expect their present home to meet their needs in five years; most who expect to need a retirement complex are 65 or over; no retirement housing exists in Joseph.
- Residents outside Joseph (23% of responses) rented more often; their barriers were financial limitations, high rent and few units; as many reported incomes at or below 80% of MFI as above 120%.
Next steps the report recommends
- More data on renters, who were about 20% of respondents and may not receive utility bills; reach them through landlords, mailed surveys, focus groups and property managers.
- A longer survey window and a different season; the survey ran about 30 days over the holidays.
- Interviews with real estate agents and hiring managers about people who wanted to move to Joseph and could not.
- Whether second and third homes are rentals or sit vacant, checked with the assessor, realtors and property managers.
- Whether the dominance of single-family homes is preference or the only option available.
- Data by sex, which the survey did not collect.
Credited to REV and EOU, reproduced as printed, nothing added.
Every result is credited to REV and EOU with the page; the Record shows REV any line that names REV, EOU or the students before publication.
Open-text answers are anonymous in the report and reproduced as printed; the Record never adds anything that could identify a respondent.
Transcribed from the printed charts on October 20, 2026; histogram bins are approximate and marked; the response-level export has been requested from REV.
The data file is /data/joseph-survey-2024.json, the same file this page reads. The final report, with Appendix D, reached the Record from the REV Center on October 20, 2026; the copy the city posts on its documents page ↗ is a pre-final export without the appendix.