Oregon Population 2024

4,227,337

Oregon currently has a growth rate of 0.89%, which ranks 22nd in the country. Oregon's 2013 population was estimated to have grown to over 4 million, making Oregon the 27th most populous state in the country.

To establish the Oregon population in 2018, it's important to first look at the numbers from the last official US Census which was carried out in 2010. At that stage, it was confirmed that the Beaver State was home to 3,831,074 residents. That’s a sizable 12% rise in the numbers declared ten years earlier.

Oregon Area and Population Density

The northwestern state of Oregon is the 9th largest in the US in terms of land area, but it has a sparsely spread population by comparison. Geography plays a huge part -- mountain ranges and vast forest areas are just two of the geographical features that have an impact on population density in Oregon.

However, parts of this vast landscape are dominated by geographical features that are unsuitable for major settlement and as a result, there is an average of just 39.9 people living in every square mile of Oregon territory. This makes Oregon only the 39th most densely populated state in the country.

Much of Oregon's population is concentrated in the Willamette Valley from Eugene to the south through Corvallis, Salem, and Portland, the largest city. Portland is home to 630,309. Other major cities include Eugene (163,460), Salem (164,549), Gresham (110,553) and Hillsboro (102,347). Comparatively, the two most populated counties in the state are Multnomah at 807,555 and Washington at 588,957.

Oregon Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age across the population of Oregon is 39.1 years of age. In terms of the ratio of females to males, 50.5% females and 49.5% males is where the population currently stands.

In terms of the most preferred religions in Oregon, 61% of the population is affiliated with a Christian based faith, 7% are affiliated with non-Christian based faiths, and 31% of the population is not affiliated with a religion of any kind.

Oregon Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

The Oregon region was long in dispute with Great Britain, and was jointly occupied by the two countries until definitively acquired by the United States in 1846. Oregon was established as a territory in 1848, including present-day Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. It acquired its present boundaries and was admitted as a State on February 14, 1859.

In 1850 the census covered only areas west of the Cascade Mountains; the 1850 total excludes persons enumerated in present-day Washington. In 1860 census coverage included the whole State.

Oregon Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Oregon was:

  • White: 80.69%
  • Two or more races: 7.74%
  • Asian: 4.44%
  • Other race: 3.77%
  • Black or African American: 1.85%
  • Native American: 1.1%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.41%

Oregon Population History

Early recorded figures show that in 1850, Oregon had a reasonably healthy population of 12,093. Those numbers were to increase by over 300% over the next ten years, and in 1860 the Oregon population was recorded at 52,465.

That was the largest rise on a decade by decade basis but the overall trend for the rest of the century was one of sustained growth, and by 1900, the population of Oregon was confirmed at 413,536.

Oregon Population Growth

Unlike other parts of the United States, that growth did not slow down for the first half of the 20th century, and by 1950, numbers had increased to 1,521,341. Further healthy growth has seen the population more than double over the past sixty years, and have taken the state to the present day where the population in 2016 has surpassed 4 million.

Oregon Population Projections

There is nothing to presently suggest that population growth in Oregon is set to slow down in the near future. By the time of the 2020 Census, it's estimated that the population will exceed 4.3 million. By 2030, estimates show the population will reach 4.8 million, an increase of over 41% from the 2000 population, while Oregon will reach 5.42 million residents by 2040.

Oregon has one of the lowest population percentages of African Americans in the nation, ranking 41st out of 50 states. The majority of the population -as well as the majority of the state's diversity- is located around the Portland metro area. The state's foreign-born population exceeds 300,000 and accounts for almost 9% of the total population, according to data from 2004.

Oregon's Native American population, in terms of percentage when compared to the state's total population, is ranked as 10th in the nation and tops the national average. Oregon ranks 12th in its percentage of Asian Americans when compared to the total population, and this percentage falls just short of the average of the US as a whole.

The largest ancestry groups in Oregon include: German (22.5%), English (14.0%), Irish (13.2%), Scandinavian (8.4%), American (5.0%), French (3.9%), Italian (3.7%) and Scottish (3.6%). Portland is Oregon's most diverse area, while there are high concentrations of Mexican-Americans in Jefferson and Malheur counties.

Oregon Growth Rate

Oregon Population Rank

Oregon Population 2024

  • The number of ghost towns located in Oregon surpasses every other US state.
  • The first permanent settlement was established by Methodist Missionaries at Willamette Valley in 1834.
  • Thousands of pioneers used the Oregon Trail to migrate west. The Oregon Trail was the longest of the trails used during the westward expansion, crossing over 2,000 miles.
  • Oregon is home to Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the US that reaches depths of over 1,900 feet.
  • Hells Canyon, which is partly located within Oregon, is the deepest river gorge (8,000 feet) in the country.
  • The state lacks sales, liquor, and restaurant taxes in Oregon.

Oregon Facts

Population

100K

200K

300K

400K

500K

600K

700K

There are a total of 36 counties in the state of Oregon, and interesting growth patterns have been observed when comparing data from 2010's Census to estimates taken in 2015 by the Census Bureau. Comparisons of this data show that the western counties of the state experienced growth in their populations during the 5-year period. Deschutes County experienced the most growth at 11.04%, followed by Washington County at 8.03%. Other western counties that saw growth include Jackson County at 4.5%, Polk County at 5.05%, and Clackamas County at 6.53%, just to name a few. There were also two counties located in the northeastern corner of the state that experienced some amount of population growth. Those counties were Umatilla and Union.

On the other side of both the growth chart and the state were the populations that declined during the same time period. These counties were located in the eastern portion of the state. Wheeler County had the highest loss in population at 6.15%, followed by Sherman County along the northern border at 5.14%. Other losses were recorded in Malheur, Harney, and Grant Counties, among others.

Oregon Population by County

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White3,394,83880.69%
Two or more races325,6127.74%
Asian186,7244.44%
Other race158,7433.77%
Black or African American77,9131.85%
Native American46,0751.1%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander17,2720.41%

White

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Black or African American

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Oregon Population by Race

Oregon Population Pyramid 2024

Oregon Median Age

39.6

Total

38.8

Male

40.5

Female

Oregon Adults

There are 3,333,691 adults, (743,125 of whom are seniors) in Oregon.

Oregon Age Dependency

62.4

Age Dependency Ratio

28.7

Old Age Dependency Ratio

33.7

Child Dependency Ratio

Oregon Sex Ratio

Female2,110,74850.17%
Male2,096,42949.83%

Oregon Population by Age

Oregon Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All1,658,0912.4963.236.8
Married795,0143.1279.720.3
Non Family620,5111.374753
Female164,4453.2748.151.9
Male78,1213.2554.345.7

3.03

Average Family Size

2.49

Average Household Size

63.2%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Oregon Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Oregon Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Oregon Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.49%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 54.02%.

Oregon Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$43,305

Average Earnings

$50,642

Average Male

$36,971

Average Female

Oregon Earnings by Educational Attainment

Oregon Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Oregon Language

84.72% of Oregon residents speak only English, while 15.28% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 8.87% of the population.

Oregon Language

Oregon Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White3,062,714330,32310.79%
Hispanic559,23389,72216.04%
Multiple317,23844,92514.16%
Other155,87324,85715.95%
Asian183,45522,12712.06%
Black74,41018,01924.22%
Native44,1469,21420.87%
Islander16,8083,31819.74%

12.08%

Overall Poverty Rate

11.27%

Male Poverty Rate

12.87%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Oregon

The race most likely to be in poverty in Oregon is Black, with 24.22% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Oregon is White, with 10.79% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.09%. Among those working part-time, it was 15.85%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 19.84%.

Oregon Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade21.22%
High School14.03%
Some College10.26%
Bachelors or Greater5.13%

Oregon Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed29.68%
Male Unemployed26.61%
Female Employed7.07%
Male Employed5.19%

Oregon Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Oregon Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Oregon Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

49.1%

Overall Marriage Rate

50.0%

Male Marriage Rate

48.3%

Female Marriage Rate

Oregon Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Oregon Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Oregon Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Oregon Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

265,325

Number of Veterans

242,641

Male Veterans

22,684

Female Veterans

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Oregon Veterans by War

count

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Oregon Veterans by Age

count

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Oregon Veterans by Race

Oregon Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

7.65%

Veteran Poverty Rate

33.11%

Veteran Disability Rate

Oregon Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

62.6%

Labor Force Participation

59%

Employment Rate

5.6%

Unemployment Rate

Oregon Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Oregon Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Oregon Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

45.89%

Born in Oregon

90.2%

Native Born

9.8%

Foreign Born

5.09%

Non Citizen

4.71%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

90.2% of Oregon residents were born in the United States, with 45.89% having been born in Oregon. 5.09% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Oregon Place of Birth

  1. Oregon Population Research Center
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources