Oregon鈥檚 population declined for second year in a row, according to census data

Economy and Finance

Oregon鈥檚 population declined for second year in a row, according to census data

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Kyra Buckley

Published December 26, 2023 at 2:24 PM PST

Interstate 205 runs through the Portland area鈥檚 eastside suburbs and up into Washington state, intersecting several major highways.

A little more than 6,000 people 鈥� or 0.1% of the population 鈥� left Oregon from July 2022 to July 2023, according to census data released Tuesday. Stretching back to 2021, overall census numbers estimate the state鈥檚 population went down by 0.5%, or about 23,000 people.

Oregon鈥檚 once steady population growth has come to a halt in the last few years, according to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.

A little more than 6,000 people 鈥� or 0.1% of the population 鈥� , according to census data released Tuesday. Stretching back to 2021, overall census numbers estimate the state鈥檚 population went down by 0.5%, or about 23,000 people.

The numbers are different from Portland State University鈥檚 estimate that Oregon added a small number of residents over the same 12-month period.

鈥淥f course these new Census estimates are in contrast to the population estimates from Portland State鈥檚 Population Research Center,鈥� writes Josh Lehner, an Oregon state economist, in . 鈥淭heir latest estimates showed Oregon鈥檚 population holding steady in 2022, following a downward revision, and then a moderate rebound in 2023.鈥�

While U.S. Census Data is important in determining things like federal funding for certain programs or congressional seats, Oregon policymakers mostly use PSU鈥檚 numbers when drafting legislation or as a foundation for other official state business.

According to PSU鈥檚 Population Research Center, from July 2022 to July 2023, representing a 0.55% increase. PSU also crunched county-level data, which showed Multnomah County grew by 0.21% or 1,728 people.

Oregon employment economist Gail Krumenauer said both data sets show a big turnaround from historical trends.

鈥淥ne of the advantages that Oregon has had relative to many other states 鈥� and overall in the U.S.,鈥� Krumenauer said, 鈥渋s that we鈥檝e been able to grow our employment, grow jobs, at a greater rate over the course of the past few decades than the U.S. on average, and more than other states.鈥�

Krumenauer said that鈥檚 because in past years, more people moved to Oregon than left the state. Economists call that net in-migration, and Krumenauer said that鈥檚 previously been the main driver for growth in the state鈥檚 labor force.

鈥淓ither case now, either very slow population growth or decline, is a very different story,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ither one of them spells lower labor force growth for us.鈥�

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Oregon鈥檚 population declined for second year in a row, according to census data

A little more than 6,000 people 鈥� or 0.1% of the population 鈥� left Oregon from July 2022 to July 2023, according to census data released Tuesday. Stretching back to 2021, overall census numbers estimate the state鈥檚 population went down by 0.5%, or about 23,000 people.