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Fact text

  • Bend is home to the last remaining Blockbuster video-rental store on the entire planet.
  • The city got its name because early pioneers crossed the Deschutes River at a 'farewell bend', the post office just got lazy and dropped half of it.
  • Bend has an actual extinct volcano sitting right inside city limits, one of only three cities in the continental U.S. that can say that.
  • A dam built in 1910 still produces electricity today, powering roughly 200 Bend homes from a pond in the middle of the city.
Your
Bend
Retirement Outlook — in 90 seconds
Hosted by Michael McMillan, President of Annuities.net
Every figure mentioned is drawn from the same sourced public data shown below — and the video updates as the data does.
Stat icon
97,032
+
Total Population
Stat icon
$
67,973
Median Income
Stat icon
$
415,100
Median Home
Stat icon
17
%
Age 65+
Retirement Suitability
How
Bend
ranks for retirees?
34
/ 100

A blended, sourced view of how this city ranks for retirees across tax, affordability, healthcare, and climate.

Tax
8
Affordability
14
Healthcare
82
Climate
21

Results

Bend

Suitability Breakdown

Retirement tax planning
01 - Taxes

Retirement Tax Treatment

Tax
8

Oregon does not tax Social Security benefits and charges no state sales tax, though it does levy a state income tax on other retirement income.

State sales tax here runs about

0

%.

Source · Tax Foundation
8
0
Retirement tax planning
02 - Income

Annuity Rates Available Here

Affordability
14

Fixed annuity rates reach up to

7

% on 5-year terms, with most landing between

5

% and

5

%.

Source · Cannex
14
Retirement tax planning
03 - Healthcare

Hospital Access & Quality

Healthcare
82

The area has

1

Medicare-certified hospitals, averaging a

4

/5 CMS quality rating.

Source · CMS Hospital Compare
4
Retirement tax planning
04 - Climate

Weather & Comfort

Climate
21

A

Cold / Snowy

climate — summers peak near

78

°F, winters dip to about

24

°F, with roughly

23

″ of snow a year.

Source · NOAA Climate Normals
Cold / Snowy
Retirement tax planning
05 - Risk

Natural Disaster Risk

Risk
Relatively Moderate

FEMA's overall natural-disaster risk rating for this county on the National Risk Index.

Source · FEMA National Risk Index
Relatively Moderate

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Oregon tax Social Security or have a sales tax for retirees in Bend?

Oregon does not tax Social Security benefits and charges zero state sales tax, which can meaningfully reduce everyday expenses for retirees. However, Oregon does levy a state income tax on other forms of retirement income, such as withdrawals from IRAs or pensions. Consulting a tax professional familiar with Oregon rules is a smart step before making retirement income decisions.

What hospital options are available for Medicare patients living in Bend?

Bend has one Medicare-certified hospital serving the area, and it holds a solid 4.0 out of 5 stars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That rating reflects a meaningful quality benchmark for a city of roughly 97,000 residents. Retirees evaluating healthcare access should review what services that facility offers relative to their personal medical needs.

How expensive is housing in Bend for someone planning retirement there?

The median home value in Bend is $415,100, which sits well above many mid-sized U.S. cities. The median household income is about $67,973, so housing costs relative to income are worth careful budgeting. Retirees on fixed incomes should factor this cost-of-living reality into how much guaranteed income they will need each month.

What is the weather and natural-disaster risk like in Bend for retirees?

Bend has a cold and snowy climate, with average summer highs around 78 degrees Fahrenheit, average winter lows of 24 degrees, and about 22 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA classifies Deschutes County’s overall natural-disaster risk as Relatively Moderate, meaning severe weather events are possible but not at the highest risk levels seen elsewhere in the country.

How can retirees in Bend handle Oregon’s retirement income taxes with steady growth?

Bend’s roughly 17% senior population faces a real planning challenge: Oregon taxes most retirement income even though Social Security escapes that burden. A multi-year guaranteed annuity, or MYGA, locks in a fixed interest rate for a set term — often two to ten years — so your growth is predictable regardless of market swings. That stability can help cover essential expenses without depending on volatile investments. Because current rates change often, check our current annuity rates page for today’s figures.

Check Current Rates