The combination of inflation and increased work-from-home opportunities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted migration patterns across the United States, the effects of which are still being felt in 2024, according to the latest Census Bureau data.
In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of densely populated, expensive cities like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many moved to Sun Belt states 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 2022 analysis of movement out of crowded cities from Stateline showed that many people leaving city centers moved to nearby suburbs in the same state. In Texas, for example, moves out of Houston rose 62% in the first month of the pandemic; meanwhile, the western suburb of Katy saw more new residents move in than any other part of the country.
According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, released in September 2023, 53.5% of people who moved in 2022 did so within the same county 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 younger adults living with their parents 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 live in their hometowns.
Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family, to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.
In order to determine where people stay put in your home state, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Oregon using data from the Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents who were born in the state according to the latest data, which is 2022 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.
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#36. Curry County
– Population: 23,404
– Born in Oregon: 7,284 (31.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 14,580 (62.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 177 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,363 (5.8% of population)
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
#35. Josephine County
– Population: 87,994
– Born in Oregon: 31,781 (36.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 51,829 (58.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 841 (1.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 3,543 (4.0% of population)
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#34. Lincoln County
– Population: 50,334
– Born in Oregon: 20,550 (40.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 26,796 (53.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 367 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,621 (5.2% of population)
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
#33. Multnomah County
– Population: 808,098
– Born in Oregon: 330,630 (40.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 358,724 (44.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 12,085 (1.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 106,659 (13.2% of population)
Yanqiang Dai // Shutterstock
#32. Washington County
– Population: 599,541
– Born in Oregon: 245,310 (40.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 236,744 (39.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 9,350 (1.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 108,137 (18.0% of population)
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#31. Hood River County
– Population: 23,965
– Born in Oregon: 9,846 (41.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 10,206 (42.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 234 (1.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 3,679 (15.4% of population)
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#30. Jackson County
– Population: 222,604
– Born in Oregon: 92,500 (41.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 115,625 (51.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 1,787 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 12,692 (5.7% of population)
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#29. Deschutes County
– Population: 199,352
– Born in Oregon: 82,930 (41.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 104,321 (52.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 2,239 (1.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 9,862 (4.9% of population)
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#28. Benton County
– Population: 95,615
– Born in Oregon: 41,221 (43.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 43,279 (45.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 1,582 (1.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 9,533 (10.0% of population)
Hugh K Telleria // Shutterstock
#27. Malheur County
– Population: 31,538
– Born in Oregon: 13,645 (43.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 14,543 (46.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 251 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 3,099 (9.8% of population)
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#26. Umatilla County
– Population: 79,904
– Born in Oregon: 34,661 (43.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 36,932 (46.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 727 (0.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 7,584 (9.5% of population)
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#25. Coos County
– Population: 64,908
– Born in Oregon: 28,838 (44.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 33,114 (51.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 464 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,492 (3.8% of population)
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#24. Clatsop County
– Population: 41,190
– Born in Oregon: 18,595 (45.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 20,163 (49.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 331 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,101 (5.1% of population)
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
#23. Morrow County
– Population: 12,140
– Born in Oregon: 5,517 (45.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 4,416 (36.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 30 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,177 (17.9% of population)
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#22. Lane County
– Population: 382,218
– Born in Oregon: 176,714 (46.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 179,950 (47.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 4,513 (1.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 21,041 (5.5% of population)
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#21. Douglas County
– Population: 111,322
– Born in Oregon: 52,596 (47.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 54,617 (49.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 1,147 (1.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,962 (2.7% of population)
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#20. Klamath County
– Population: 69,506
– Born in Oregon: 33,607 (48.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 32,254 (46.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 631 (0.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 3,014 (4.3% of population)
Dominic Gentilcore PhD // Shutterstock
#19. Lake County
– Population: 8,201
– Born in Oregon: 4,051 (49.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,607 (44.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 22 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 521 (6.4% of population)
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#18. Yamhill County
– Population: 107,674
– Born in Oregon: 54,788 (50.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 43,262 (40.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 1,666 (1.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 7,958 (7.4% of population)
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#17. Baker County
– Population: 16,685
– Born in Oregon: 8,533 (51.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 7,750 (46.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 85 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 317 (1.9% of population)
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#16. Marion County
– Population: 345,815
– Born in Oregon: 179,393 (51.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 116,389 (33.7% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 4,254 (1.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 45,779 (13.2% of population)
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#15. Clackamas County
– Population: 420,925
– Born in Oregon: 220,585 (52.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 158,326 (37.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 6,219 (1.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 35,795 (8.5% of population)
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#14. Tillamook County
– Population: 27,345
– Born in Oregon: 14,606 (53.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 11,019 (40.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 370 (1.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,350 (4.9% of population)
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#13. Wasco County
– Population: 26,639
– Born in Oregon: 14,241 (53.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 9,850 (37.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 216 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 2,332 (8.8% of population)
Cynthia Liang // Shutterstock
#12. Polk County
– Population: 87,600
– Born in Oregon: 47,093 (53.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 34,127 (39.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 763 (0.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 5,617 (6.4% of population)
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#11. Columbia County
– Population: 52,865
– Born in Oregon: 28,773 (54.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 21,963 (41.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 649 (1.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,480 (2.8% of population)
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#10. Wallowa County
– Population: 7,439
– Born in Oregon: 4,098 (55.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,167 (42.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 48 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 126 (1.7% of population)
Arpad Jasko // Shutterstock
#9. Gilliam County
– Population: 1,983
– Born in Oregon: 1,122 (56.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 754 (38.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 37 (1.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 70 (3.5% of population)
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#8. Union County
– Population: 26,286
– Born in Oregon: 15,047 (57.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 10,230 (38.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 241 (0.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 768 (2.9% of population)
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#7. Linn County
– Population: 128,598
– Born in Oregon: 74,044 (57.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 48,297 (37.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 822 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 5,435 (4.2% of population)
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#6. Crook County
– Population: 24,987
– Born in Oregon: 14,519 (58.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 9,461 (37.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 251 (1.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 756 (3.0% of population)
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#5. Jefferson County
– Population: 24,659
– Born in Oregon: 14,450 (58.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 8,389 (34.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 153 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,667 (6.8% of population)
Tomas Nevesely // Shutterstock
#4. Wheeler County
– Population: 1,407
– Born in Oregon: 828 (58.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 532 (37.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 4 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 43 (3.1% of population)
Dee Browning // Shutterstock
#3. Grant County
– Population: 7,237
– Born in Oregon: 4,271 (59.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,735 (37.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 60 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 171 (2.4% of population)
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#2. Harney County
– Population: 7,496
– Born in Oregon: 4,471 (59.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,790 (37.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 52 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 183 (2.4% of population)
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#1. Sherman County
– Population: 1,900
– Born in Oregon: 1,146 (60.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 709 (37.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 10 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 35 (1.8% of population)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.
Stacker
Stacker is a news organization that produces and distributes data journalism to the world’s news organizations. Founded in 2017, Stacker combines data analysis with rich editorial context, drawing on authoritative sources and subject matter experts to drive storytelling. This article has been republished pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.