St. Helens is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, home to about 14,258 people across 4.8 square miles. Its ZIP code is 97051, and parts of 97053 are in St. Helens too.
Homes sold for a median of $269 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly St. Helens
Mostly Warren; part is in St. Helens
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside St. Helens. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up St. Helens’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Portland International Airport (PDX)22 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Portland, OR24 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Los Angeles, CA850 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of St. Helens; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
St. Helens had 13,817 residents in the 2020 census, up 38% since 2000.
It’s the 47th largest of 420 towns in Oregon by population.
Columbia County grew from 6,237 residents in 1900 to 52,589 in 2020.
Columbia County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 82°F in summer, and winter lows average 34°F. About 42.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Scappoose Ind Ap, OR weather station (6 miles away).
9,272 jobs at 996 businesses in Columbia County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
297 doctors and other health care providers list an office in St. Helens.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 8 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 4 |
| Dentists | 5 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 23 |
| Mental health providers | 233 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 13 |
| Optometrists | 8 |
| Chiropractors | 3 |
| Pharmacies | 8 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (14 nearby)
Grocery stores (3 nearby)
Pharmacies (3 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Museums (1 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues
Counts are within about 1.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1889.
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by St Helens SD 502. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis & Clark Elementary SchoolSt Helens | K–5 | 426 | Public | 1.1 mi |
| McBride Elementary SchoolSt Helens | K–5 | 452 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| St Helens Arthur AcademySt Helens | K–5 | 160 | Charter | 2.8 mi |
| St. Helens Virtual AcademySt Helens | K–12 | 153 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| St Helens Middle SchoolSt Helens | 6–8 | 563 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Plymouth High SchoolSt Helens | 9–12 | 65 | Alternative Education | 0.8 mi |
| St Helens High SchoolSt Helens | 9–12 | 823 | Public | 0.8 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Warren.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.