Oregon's population continues to grow

(DECEMBER 3, 2021) Oregon’s population increased between 2020 and 2021 according to new estimates from Portland State University’s Population Research Center. The estimates indicate that Oregon’s population grew from 4,243,791 on July 1, 2020 to 4,266,560 on July 1, 2021. That represents a 0.54% increase.

Population growth is driven by births, deaths, and migration. Oregon experienced negative "natural increase" over the past year. That is because there were 2,210 more deaths than births. Therefore, population growth was driven entirely by net migration of new residents to the state. Specifically, around 25,000 moved to Oregon during the last year.

Oregon’s three most populous counties (Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas) are home to nearly 1.9 million people. Those three counties accounted for more than half of the state's population growth between 2020 and 2021. Multnomah and Washington counties each added more than 4,000 residents. Clackamas County added more than 3,000.

Among incorporated cities and towns, Portland continued to add more residents than other cities in Oregon. Its population increased by more than 5,000 people to 658,773 (+0.8%) between 2020 and 2021. Salem had the second biggest population among Oregon cities, adding 1,479 residents (+0.84%) to reach a population of 177,694 in 2021. Redmond and Hillsboro also grew by over 1,500.