Can A Police Officer Afford Rent in Prineville, OR?

Comfortably affordable — rent takes 24.5% of gross income.

Prineville rent: June 2026. Salary: BLS OEWS May 2024 (Oregon state estimate).

Prineville median rent
$1,641/mo
Police Officer salary (Oregon)
$80,361/yr
Rent as % of income
24.5%
Gross monthly income works out to about $6,697, and the 30% rule supports up to $2,009/mo in rent. Prineville's median rent of $1,641 leaves roughly $368/mo of headroom under that threshold. A police officer works roughly 42.5 hours a month to cover that rent.

About rent and a police officer salary

The gap between a police officer's base pay and the rent in the city they patrol is a widely tracked local affordability question. Many large-city departments now publish recruitment materials that include a local-rent comparison, because affordability has become a recruiting issue. At the national-average officer base pay, the 30% rule supports about $1,932 a month in rent. The per-city pages combine local rent with local officer-pay estimates to show where rent stays within that range.

Cheaper rent nearby

These Oregon cities have lower median rent than Prineville, which improves the affordability math on a police officer salary:

Medford, OR
$1,633/mo (24.4% of income)
Coos Bay, OR
$1,632/mo (24.4% of income)
Grants Pass, OR
$1,632/mo (24.4% of income)

Compare with full rent data for Prineville

View full rent data for Prineville, OR

Frequently asked questions

Can a police officer afford rent in Prineville, OR?

Median rent in Prineville is $1,641 a month. A typical police officer in Oregon earns about $80,361 a year, which makes that rent 24.5% of gross monthly income. Under the 30% rule, the answer is yes.

How much rent can a police officer afford in Prineville?

Using the 30% rule, a police officer salary in Oregon (~$80,361/yr) supports up to $2,009 a month in rent. Prineville's current median rent is $1,641/mo, which leaves a $368/mo buffer.

How many hours does a police officer work to cover rent in Prineville?

At an hourly equivalent of about $39 an hour, a police officer in Oregon works roughly 42.5 hours a month to cover Prineville's median rent of $1,641.

Where is rent cheaper than Prineville for a police officer?

Nearby Oregon cities with lower median rent include Medford ($1,633/mo), Coos Bay ($1,632/mo), Grants Pass ($1,632/mo). Each shifts the affordability math materially on a police officer salary.

Methodology: Salary uses the BLS-derived Oregon state estimate from OEWS May 2024. Rent is the most recent ZORI monthly value for Prineville, OR. Affordability applies the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income). Real take-home varies with taxes, household composition, overtime, tips, and benefits.