Bend by the Numbers

Population and growth

• 107,079Bend's certified population on July 1, 2025, from Portland State University's Population Research Center.
• +7,767people since April 2020 (99,312), about 7.8% growth in five years.
• About halfof Deschutes County lives in Bend: 107,079 of 213,886.

The U.S. Census Bureau's own estimate for the same date is a little higher: 107,342 on July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025). Going further back, the 2010 Census counted 76,639 people in Bend, so the city has about 40% more residents now than it did in 2010.

Temperature, snow and rain by month

These are NOAA's official 30-year climate normals (1991–2020) for the Bend weather station (BEND, OR), at 3,660 feet. They are averages, so any single year can swing well above or below.

• 61° / 34°average annual high and low
• 10.62″total precipitation in an average year (rain plus melted snow)
• 21.6″average annual snowfall in town
• 168nights a year at or below freezing, on average
• 15.6days a year that reach 90°F, almost all in July and August
• 105 daysmedian frost-free season: last spring freeze June 6, first fall freeze September 20

That June 6 freeze date is the one gardeners should know: in half of years, Bend still gets a 32°F night after it. Measurable precipitation (a tenth of an inch or more) falls on about 30 days a year.

Elevation and drive times

• 3,625 ftdowntown Bend, near Wall Street and Oregon Avenue (USGS)
• 3,455 ftBend Municipal Airport weather station, KBDN (NWS)
• 9,065 ftMt. Bachelor's summit; its base elevation is 5,700 ft

How far is it from downtown Bend?

Drive times are the routing engine's estimate with no traffic, snow or construction. In winter, the passes to Portland, Salem and Eugene can add a lot; check TripCheck before you go.

Mt. Bachelor: seasons and stats

• 410″average annual snowfall at the mountain (vs. 21.6″ in town)
• 4,323skiable acres, with 3,365 ft of vertical
• Dec. 4, 2026scheduled opening day for 2026–27

Recent seasons

Three seasons, three very different winters: a late-December start and mid-April finish in 2025–26, and a mid-November start with a Memorial Day finish the year before. We only list seasons where we could confirm both dates from the resort or local news; older seasons will be added as we verify them.

The river: float season and flows

• 250,000+people float between Riverbend and Drake parks each summer (Bend Park and Recreation District)
• ~45 minon the water for either half of the classic float; the full Riverbend-to-Drake loop takes 2 to 2⅓ hours including the walks
• $5Ride the River shuttle, mid-June to early September; the 2026 season started June 13

The free Park & Float lot (1000 SW Bradbury Way) is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from mid-June through Labor Day. Oregon law requires life jackets for children 12 and under and on all boats and paddleboards. Read our floating guide for the how-to.

The Deschutes runs backwards from what you might expect: through town it is highest in July, when floaters are on it, and lowest in winter. Below Bend the pattern flips: summer flow drops to less than a tenth of what passes Benham Falls. The park district notes that flow through town varies with natural conditions and with releases from Wickiup Reservoir upstream.

When the mountain roads open

Two scenic highways west of Bend close every winter. Here's when they reopened in the years we could confirm.

The rules of thumb: Deschutes County aims to open Cascade Lakes Highway and Paulina Lake Road before Memorial Day each year, once the road is clear and the forecast is safe. ODOT reopens McKenzie Pass the third Monday in June when snow allows and usually closes it in November.

Wildfire smoke days

• 6days of wildfire smoke at “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” or worse in Bend from 2000 to 2012
• 101such days from 2013 to 2025, about 7.8 a year
• 2in 2025, a mild year with none worse than USG

DEQ counts 97 of those smoky days in 2017–2025 alone, including eight days rated “Hazardous.” One note for precise citers: the report's summary says 101 days for 2013–2025 while its Bend detail section says 100; we use the summary figure. For a smoky day, here's our indoor plan.

Home values and rent

• $721,430typical Bend home value, September 2026 (Zillow)
• −9%from the June 2022 peak of $792,610; down 0.6% from a year earlier
• $2,284typical monthly rent, September 2026, up 3.1% in a year

Over ten years (September 2016 to September 2026), the typical home value rose about 85% and typical rent about 72%. Zillow's indexes describe the middle of the market, not sale prices; a realtor's median sale price for a given month will differ. Thinking of moving? Start with Bend neighborhoods.

Breweries, food carts, parks and trails

• 24brewery pubs and taprooms with Bend addresses in our brewery guide (31 across Central Oregon)
• 14food cart lots and cart-hosting patios in Bend in our food truck guide (28 across Central Oregon)
• 86parks and natural areas run by Bend Park and Recreation District
• 90 milesof district trail
• 3,629acres of district parkland, developed and undeveloped

The brewery and food cart counts are the places listed in those guides, so they include more than one location for some breweries. The parks and trails numbers are the district's own statistics as of October 2025.

What's not here, and why

• “300 days of sunshine.” You'll see it everywhere, but NOAA doesn't publish a sunshine or clear-day count for Bend, and we couldn't find an official measurement behind it. So we don't use it.
• Mt. Bachelor seasons before 2023–24. We only list seasons where we confirmed both the opening and closing day.
• Year-by-year smoke days. DEQ's report publishes them only as a chart, so we use the period totals it states in text.

See a number that's changed, or have a better source? Tell us and we'll check it and update the page.