Lowest-earning counties in Oregon
Americans on the whole were doing well financially heading into 2020, with major markers like unemployment reaching 50-year lows. The pandemic changed all that: During the second quarter of the 2020 fiscal year, our nation's real GDP fell by a whopping 31.4%, a number that hasn't been seen since the Great Depression. Since then the GDP has recovered, the first quarter of 2022 was 11% above the fourth quarter of 2019.
While GDP has recovered since the height of the pandemic, wage growth has not kept pace with inflation. In 2021 average hourly wages increased 4.7% while there was 7% inflation, meaning the worker's purchasing power dropped by 2.4%.
Where you live can make a big impact on your financial situation. The highest earning county in the U.S. earns $147,111, while the lowest earns $22,292. Stacker compiled a list of the lowest-earning counties in Oregon using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the Census' 2020 5-year estimate median household income.
#36. Washington County
--- 31.9% above state average, 33.3% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 43.0%
--- #116 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 5.5%
--- #3,024 highest among all counties nationwide
#35. Clackamas County
--- 26.3% above state average, 27.6% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 40.4%
--- #167 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.1%
--- #2,985 highest among all counties nationwide
#34. Hood River County
--- 10.3% above state average, 11.4% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 36.7%
--- #243 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 4.0%
--- #2,832 highest among all counties nationwide
#33. Multnomah County
--- 8.8% above state average, 9.9% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 35.3%
--- #272 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.8%
--- #2,802 highest among all counties nationwide
#32. Deschutes County
--- 5.0% above state average, 6.1% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 31.1%
--- #426 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.8%
--- #2,735 highest among all counties nationwide
#31. Columbia County
--- 3.8% above state average, 4.9% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 29.3%
--- #525 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.8%
--- #2,703 highest among all counties nationwide
#30. Yamhill County
--- 2.5% above state average, 3.5% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 31.4%
--- #416 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.6%
--- #2,663 highest among all counties nationwide
#29. Polk County
--- 0.0% below state average, 1.0% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 29.9%
--- #492 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.6%
--- #2,605 highest among all counties nationwide
#28. Benton County
--- 0.8% below state average, 0.2% above national average
- Households earning over $100k: 31.4%
--- #416 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 12.6%
--- #2,574 highest among all counties nationwide
#27. Marion County
--- 5.9% below state average, 4.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 26.2%
--- #761 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.2%
--- #2,383 highest among all counties nationwide
#26. Linn County
--- 9.3% below state average, 8.4% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 22.7%
--- #1,169 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.7%
--- #2,210 highest among all counties nationwide
#25. Crook County
--- 10.2% below state average, 9.2% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 20.2%
--- #1,572 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.6%
--- #2,150 highest among all counties nationwide
#24. Umatilla County
--- 11.7% below state average, 10.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 22.1%
--- #1,259 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.9%
--- #2,081 highest among all counties nationwide
#23. Clatsop County
--- 12.5% below state average, 11.6% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 24.0%
--- #990 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.7%
--- #2,038 highest among all counties nationwide
#22. Morrow County
--- 13.9% below state average, 13.0% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 20.8%
--- #1,485 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 6.7%
--- #1,942 highest among all counties nationwide
#21. Jackson County
--- 14.2% below state average, 13.3% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 23.3%
--- #1,080 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.4%
--- #1,923 highest among all counties nationwide
#20. Jefferson County
--- 15.0% below state average, 14.1% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 24.0%
--- #990 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 14.2%
--- #1,883 highest among all counties nationwide
#19. Lane County
--- 16.3% below state average, 15.5% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 22.8%
--- #1,158 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 12.0%
--- #1,794 highest among all counties nationwide
#18. Wasco County
--- 16.7% below state average, 15.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 20.0%
--- #1,607 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.6%
--- #1,773 highest among all counties nationwide
#17. Tillamook County
--- 17.4% below state average, 16.5% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 18.3%
--- #1,924 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.2%
--- #1,724 highest among all counties nationwide
#16. Union County
--- 17.9% below state average, 17.0% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 18.8%
--- #1,821 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 10.3%
--- #1,693 highest among all counties nationwide
#15. Wallowa County
--- 18.6% below state average, 17.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 20.5%
--- #1,520 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.5%
--- #1,631 highest among all counties nationwide
#14. Curry County
--- 19.0% below state average, 18.2% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 21.7%
--- #1,324 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 11.3%
--- #1,609 highest among all counties nationwide
#13. Sherman County
--- 21.6% below state average, 20.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 19.0%
--- #1,784 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 7.4%
--- #1,380 highest among all counties nationwide
#12. Lincoln County
--- 22.7% below state average, 21.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 17.9%
--- #1,977 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 12.9%
--- #1,293 highest among all counties nationwide
#11. Douglas County
--- 23.8% below state average, 23.0% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 18.1%
--- #1,948 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 9.8%
--- #1,211 highest among all counties nationwide
#10. Coos County
--- 24.7% below state average, 23.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 19.1%
--- #1,781 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 13.5%
--- #1,147 highest among all counties nationwide
#9. Klamath County
--- 26.1% below state average, 25.3% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 17.4%
--- #2,072 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 15.3%
--- #1,058 highest among all counties nationwide
#8. Grant County
--- 26.6% below state average, 25.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 15.2%
--- #2,479 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 14.2%
--- #1,021 highest among all counties nationwide
#7. Josephine County
--- 27.3% below state average, 26.6% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 17.3%
--- #2,087 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 13.0%
--- #978 highest among all counties nationwide
#6. Baker County
--- 29.6% below state average, 28.8% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 19.6%
--- #1,683 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 12.2%
--- #838 highest among all counties nationwide
#5. Wheeler County
--- 30.9% below state average, 30.2% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 12.1%
--- #2,852 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 13.6%
--- #767 highest among all counties nationwide
#4. Malheur County
--- 32.4% below state average, 31.7% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 15.1%
--- #2,490 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 13.7%
--- #680 highest among all counties nationwide
#3. Lake County
--- 32.6% below state average, 31.9% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 16.8%
--- #2,179 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 15.1%
--- #669 highest among all counties nationwide
#2. Harney County
--- 33.9% below state average, 33.2% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 16.7%
--- #2,196 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 8.3%
--- #595 highest among all counties nationwide
#1. Gilliam County
--- 36.3% below state average, 35.6% below national average
- Households earning over $100k: 14.2%
--- #2,615 highest among all counties nationwide
- Households earning less than $15k: 17.5%
--- #474 highest among all counties nationwide