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1 / 14#14. Lane County and Lincoln County
- Lane County population: 381,181
- Lincoln County population: 50,821
- Social connectedness index: 105,203
Most socially connected counties in Oregon
In today's digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in Oregon using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
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2 / 14#13. Washington County and Yamhill County
- Washington County population: 598,865
- Yamhill County population: 108,644
- Social connectedness index: 223,308
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3 / 14#12. Clackamas County and Multnomah County
- Clackamas County population: 423,173
- Multnomah County population: 789,698
- Social connectedness index: 260,466
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4 / 14#11. Douglas County and Coos County
- Douglas County population: 112,435
- Coos County population: 64,212
- Social connectedness index: 382,008
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5 / 14#10. Tillamook County and Clatsop County
- Tillamook County population: 27,417
- Clatsop County population: 41,102
- Social connectedness index: 558,256
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6 / 14#9. Jackson County and Josephine County
- Jackson County population: 220,768
- Josephine County population: 87,821
- Social connectedness index: 583,249
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7 / 14#8. Marion County and Polk County
- Marion County population: 346,741
- Polk County population: 89,805
- Social connectedness index: 770,800
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8 / 14#7. Linn County and Benton County
- Linn County population: 131,496
- Benton County population: 97,713
- Social connectedness index: 942,915
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9 / 14#6. Crook County and Jefferson County
- Crook County population: 26,952
- Jefferson County population: 25,454
- Social connectedness index: 1,392,754
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10 / 14#5. Umatilla County and Morrow County
- Umatilla County population: 80,053
- Morrow County population: 12,302
- Social connectedness index: 3,025,122
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11 / 14#4. Grant County and Harney County
- Grant County population: 7,215
- Harney County population: 7,440
- Social connectedness index: 3,607,399
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12 / 14#3. Wallowa County and Union County
- Wallowa County population: 7,674
- Union County population: 25,944
- Social connectedness index: 3,746,444
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13 / 14#2. Sherman County and Wasco County
- Sherman County population: 1,951
- Wasco County population: 26,333
- Social connectedness index: 6,275,891
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14 / 14#1. Wheeler County and Gilliam County
- Wheeler County population: 1,436
- Gilliam County population: 2,026
- Social connectedness index: 36,307,421
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.
