Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Oregon
In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many where the weather is warmer and the cost of living significantly lower.
But by the second year of the pandemic, it became clear that not everyone who was moving wanted to go far. A 2024 analysis of movement out of crowded cities from the U.S. Census Bureau showed that many people leaving city centers in the same metro area. In the Phoenix metro area, for example, growth rates are higher in more distant suburbs of Maricopa, Casa Grande, Coolidge, and Eloy compared to Scottsdale and Mesa.
According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, released in September 2023, 53.5% of people who moved in 2022 and an additional 24.3% remained in state, meaning more than three-quarters of movers stuck close to home.
Many young people in particular are remaining in the state, town, or even house that they grew up in. Before the pandemic, the number of was on the rise and those patterns have continued. A late 2023 survey released by Lending Tree found that 57% of millennials and Gen Zers .
Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be , to to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.
In order to determine where people stay put in your home state, compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Oregon using data from the . Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents who were born in the state according to the latest data, which is 2023 five-year estimates. The percentage of residents who were born in another state, a U.S. territory, and another country is also included.
Read on to find out where the most loyal Oregon residents live.
#36. Curry County
- Population: 23,463
- Born in Oregon: 7,166 (30.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 14,599 (62.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 287 (1.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,411 (6.0% of population)
#35. Josephine County
- Population: 88,069
- Born in Oregon: 32,745 (37.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 51,136 (58.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 901 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,287 (3.7% of population)
#34. Lincoln County
- Population: 50,632
- Born in Oregon: 20,481 (40.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 26,869 (53.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 559 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,723 (5.4% of population)
#33. Deschutes County
- Population: 203,026
- Born in Oregon: 82,186 (40.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 108,482 (53.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 2,396 (1.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 9,962 (4.9% of population)
#32. Multnomah County
- Population: 803,863
- Born in Oregon: 326,532 (40.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 359,657 (44.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 12,836 (1.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 104,838 (13.0% of population)
#31. Jackson County
- Population: 222,563
- Born in Oregon: 91,324 (41.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 116,950 (52.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,664 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 12,625 (5.7% of population)
#30. Washington County
- Population: 600,266
- Born in Oregon: 247,350 (41.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 236,497 (39.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 10,159 (1.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 106,260 (17.7% of population)
#29. Hood River County
- Population: 23,958
- Born in Oregon: 10,227 (42.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 9,813 (41.0% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 247 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,671 (15.3% of population)
#28. Coos County
- Population: 64,832
- Born in Oregon: 27,864 (43.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 33,991 (52.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 482 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,495 (3.8% of population)
#27. Benton County
- Population: 96,359
- Born in Oregon: 41,599 (43.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 43,414 (45.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,855 (1.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 9,491 (9.8% of population)
#26. Umatilla County
- Population: 80,087
- Born in Oregon: 34,943 (43.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 36,181 (45.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 731 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 8,232 (10.3% of population)
#25. Malheur County
- Population: 31,701
- Born in Oregon: 14,155 (44.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 14,835 (46.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 263 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,448 (7.7% of population)
#24. Clatsop County
- Population: 41,343
- Born in Oregon: 18,486 (44.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 20,830 (50.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 327 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,700 (4.1% of population)
#23. Morrow County
- Population: 12,249
- Born in Oregon: 5,703 (46.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 4,315 (35.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 52 (0.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,179 (17.8% of population)
#22. Lane County
- Population: 382,628
- Born in Oregon: 178,173 (46.6% of population)
- Born in a different state: 179,508 (46.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 4,444 (1.2% of population)
- Born in another country: 20,503 (5.4% of population)
#21. Douglas County
- Population: 111,807
- Born in Oregon: 52,285 (46.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 55,294 (49.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,222 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,006 (2.7% of population)
#20. Lake County
- Population: 8,254
- Born in Oregon: 3,986 (48.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,731 (45.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 537 (6.5% of population)
#19. Klamath County
- Population: 69,812
- Born in Oregon: 33,741 (48.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 32,330 (46.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 589 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 3,152 (4.5% of population)
#18. Baker County
- Population: 16,796
- Born in Oregon: 8,509 (50.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 7,873 (46.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 125 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 289 (1.7% of population)
#17. Yamhill County
- Population: 108,122
- Born in Oregon: 55,388 (51.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 42,660 (39.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,684 (1.6% of population)
- Born in another country: 8,390 (7.8% of population)
#16. Marion County
- Population: 346,532
- Born in Oregon: 179,944 (51.9% of population)
- Born in a different state: 114,725 (33.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 4,776 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 47,087 (13.6% of population)
#15. Clackamas County
- Population: 422,308
- Born in Oregon: 221,848 (52.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 158,366 (37.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 5,668 (1.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 36,426 (8.6% of population)
#14. Tillamook County
- Population: 27,471
- Born in Oregon: 14,659 (53.4% of population)
- Born in a different state: 11,080 (40.3% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 358 (1.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,374 (5.0% of population)
#13. Polk County
- Population: 88,553
- Born in Oregon: 47,408 (53.5% of population)
- Born in a different state: 35,356 (39.9% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 767 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 5,022 (5.7% of population)
#12. Wasco County
- Population: 26,603
- Born in Oregon: 14,296 (53.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 9,736 (36.6% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 281 (1.1% of population)
- Born in another country: 2,290 (8.6% of population)
#11. Columbia County
- Population: 53,178
- Born in Oregon: 28,610 (53.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 22,020 (41.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 765 (1.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,783 (3.4% of population)
#10. Wheeler County
- Population: 1,434
- Born in Oregon: 774 (54.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 604 (42.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 5 (0.3% of population)
- Born in another country: 51 (3.6% of population)
#9. Harney County
- Population: 7,515
- Born in Oregon: 4,114 (54.7% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,183 (42.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 52 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 166 (2.2% of population)
#8. Union County
- Population: 26,192
- Born in Oregon: 14,620 (55.8% of population)
- Born in a different state: 10,427 (39.8% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 271 (1.0% of population)
- Born in another country: 874 (3.3% of population)
#7. Wallowa County
- Population: 7,532
- Born in Oregon: 4,234 (56.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 3,129 (41.5% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 60 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 109 (1.4% of population)
#6. Crook County
- Population: 25,651
- Born in Oregon: 14,435 (56.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 10,035 (39.1% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 227 (0.9% of population)
- Born in another country: 954 (3.7% of population)
#5. Jefferson County
- Population: 24,973
- Born in Oregon: 14,065 (56.3% of population)
- Born in a different state: 9,041 (36.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 167 (0.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 1,700 (6.8% of population)
#4. Gilliam County
- Population: 2,002
- Born in Oregon: 1,164 (58.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 744 (37.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 35 (1.7% of population)
- Born in another country: 59 (2.9% of population)
#3. Linn County
- Population: 129,794
- Born in Oregon: 75,566 (58.2% of population)
- Born in a different state: 47,680 (36.7% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 1,027 (0.8% of population)
- Born in another country: 5,521 (4.3% of population)
#2. Grant County
- Population: 7,238
- Born in Oregon: 4,278 (59.1% of population)
- Born in a different state: 2,780 (38.4% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 28 (0.4% of population)
- Born in another country: 152 (2.1% of population)
#1. Sherman County
- Population: 1,908
- Born in Oregon: 1,221 (64.0% of population)
- Born in a different state: 653 (34.2% of population)
- Born in U.S. territories: 10 (0.5% of population)
- Born in another country: 24 (1.3% of population)
