Baker County, Oregon Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Baker County, OR Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
B
Health Around average
-
D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Baker County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,836 | 4,252,306 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5.5 | 43.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.62% | 0.82% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.8 | 40.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,353 | 1,717,698 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Baker County grew by 5.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16,836 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Baker County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.9% of residents. That is 7.9 points above Oregon as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,682 15.9% -4.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,980 17.7% -5.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,422 20.3% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,354 25.9% +7.9 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Oregon, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 48.9% of the people living in Baker County and men 51.1%.
- Women 48.9% Oregon 50.1%
- Men 51.1% Oregon 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Baker County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Baker County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Baker County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,542 | $83,617 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.90% | 5.70% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.6% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Baker County is about 26% lower than in Oregon.
Housing
| Metric | Baker County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $159,293 | $406,603 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $864 | $1,525 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.5% | 63.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Baker County is about 15.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $864 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Baker County spend about 18 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 74 hours, about 3.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Baker County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 8.9 | 20.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 17.7 | 40.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 74 | 168 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $2,289 | $5,203 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 19.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,634 | 7,643 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 92 | 967 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Oregon:
Lake County (7.7 min), Harney County (8.6 min), Baker County (8.9 min).
Slowest:
Columbia County (31.7 min), Clackamas County (23.9 min), Polk County (22.2 min).
The average commute time in Baker County is 9 minutes, shorter than the 20 minutes in Oregon.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Baker County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Baker County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.4% | 32.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.21 | 2.41 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Oregon:
Benton County (0.4), Multnomah County (0.4), Washington County (0.4).
Lowest:
Morrow County (0.2), Malheur County (0.2), Gilliam County (0.2).
Health
Baker County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Baker County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.6 | 78.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.8% | 15.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.7% | 17.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Oregon:
Benton County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Clackamas County (0.8).
Lowest:
Josephine County (0.8), Malheur County (0.8), Lake County (0.8).
Baker County, OR Compared With Nearby Counties
How Baker County, OR compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker County, OR | 16,836 | $61,542 #3/3 | $159,293 #3/3 | 8.9 min #1/3 |
| Union County, OR | 26,138 | $65,574 | $271,710 | 11.5 min |
| Payette County, ID | 26,771 | $67,405 | $354,910 | 17.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Baker County, Oregon.
What is the population of Baker County, Oregon?
About 16,836 people live in Baker County, Oregon, in 7,353 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 48.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 12 years.
Is Baker County, Oregon mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Baker County, Oregon has 5 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 6% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Baker County, Oregon?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($159,293 against $61,542), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $864 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Baker County, Oregon?
23.4% of adults in Baker County, Oregon hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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