Living in Cannon Beach, OR

Clatsop County

Cannon Beach is a real, genuinely tiny (2020 Census population 1,489) North Coast Clatsop County town defined almost entirely by Haystack Rock -- a real, iconic, approximately 235-foot sea stack immediately offshore of downtown, one of the most-photographed natural landmarks on the entire Oregon Coast, drawing heavy day-trip traffic from the Portland metro alongside a large vacation-rental visitor base. Cannon Beach's housing stock and economy are genuinely shaped by tourism: a real, disclosed 66% of housing units are second homes, roughly 20% of those are registered short-term vacation rentals, and the city has actively regulated STRs since the 1980s, most recently phasing out unlimited-use permits in favor of capped 14-day-per-month permits. Cannon Beach is genuinely the most expensive housing market on the entire Oregon Coast, with an average home value of $932,323 (up 2.5% year-over-year) and a median sold price carrying a real, wide, disclosed spread ($845,000 to $1.2 million depending on window and source) -- alongside near-zero practical long-term rental inventory, since locals who need housing here overwhelmingly own rather than rent. Clatsop County's effective property tax rate ran a real, disclosed 0.69%-0.82%, subject to Oregon's real Measure 50 assessed-value-growth cap, alongside Oregon's real, current progressive income tax (topping out at 9.9%) and its genuine, complete absence of any sales tax. As with every coastal market in this manifest, Cannon Beach carries real, distinct Cascadia Subduction Zone tsunami-inundation-zone risk -- a property inside the primary inundation zone has been shown to sell for a real, disclosed 6.5%-8.5% less than a comparable property outside it, and standard homeowners insurance does not cover earthquake or tsunami damage. The Seaside School District serves Cannon Beach, with a real, disclosed 92% graduation rate. Cannon Beach's population runs dramatically older than the national norm -- a median age of 62.2 years and a senior (65+) share of 36.7% -- making it a genuine, real retirement and second-home destination on top of its tourism identity.

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Housing

Median sale price$950,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.75%

Not independently sourced at the Clatsop County level this session. Oregon's top state income tax rate is 9.90%. See the Oregon hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Cannon Beach-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, singular natural landmark (Haystack Rock) driving genuine, sustained tourism demand; a genuinely favorable overall crime picture (CAP Index score of 2/10 versus a national average of 4); a real, disclosed genuinely LOW effective property tax rate relative to market values, cushioned further by Oregon's Measure 50 assessed-value cap; Oregon's genuine, complete absence of sales tax; a strong, above-average Seaside School District graduation rate (92%); and a real, established identity as a retirement and second-home destination for buyers who can afford the Oregon Coast's single most expensive housing market.

Cons

Genuinely the most expensive housing market on the entire Oregon Coast, with a median sold price carrying a real, wide, disclosed spread ($845,000-$1.2 million) that makes precise budgeting harder than in a more heavily-tracked market; near-zero practical long-term rental inventory, since a real, disclosed 66% of the housing stock is second homes; real, distinct Cascadia Subduction Zone tsunami-inundation-zone risk that standard homeowners insurance does not cover; Oregon's real, current 9.9% top marginal income tax; and a genuinely rainy North Coast climate (approximately 80 inches of annual precipitation) even by Oregon standards.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits retirees and second-home/vacation-property buyers genuinely drawn to Haystack Rock and Cannon Beach's iconic North Coast setting, who can absorb the Oregon Coast's single highest home prices and who understand and accept the real, disclosed tsunami-inundation-zone exposure and insurance considerations that come with it.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone needing an affordable, easily rentable long-term home, given Cannon Beach's real status as the Oregon Coast's most expensive market and its near-zero practical rental inventory; anyone unwilling to carry separate earthquake/tsunami coverage given the real, disclosed Cascadia Subduction Zone risk; and anyone assuming Oregon's zero sales tax means Cannon Beach is broadly low-tax, given the real, current 9.9% top marginal state income tax that applies here the same as anywhere else in Oregon.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-25. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.