Malheur County, Oregon Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Malheur 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.
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B
Health Around averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in Oregon
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D
Income Well below averageLeast wealthy county in Oregon
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F
Education Well below averageAmong the 3 least educated counties in Oregon
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Malheur County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 31,953 | 4,252,306 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3.2 | 43.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.60% | 0.82% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.9 | 40.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 10,292 | 1,717,698 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Malheur County grew by 3.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 31,953 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Malheur County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.8% of residents. That is 2.1 points above Oregon as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 7,288 22.8% +2.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 6,564 20.5% -2.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,685 17.8% -2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,301 16.6% -1.4 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 45.2% of the people living in Malheur County and men 54.8%.
- Women 45.2% Oregon 50.1%
- Men 54.8% Oregon 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Malheur County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Malheur County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Malheur County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,079 | $83,617 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.77% | 5.70% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Malheur County is about 35% lower than in Oregon.
Housing
| Metric | Malheur County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $294,932 | $406,603 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $821 | $1,525 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 63.2% | 63.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Malheur County is about 29.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $821 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Malheur County spend about 28 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 116 hours, about 4.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Malheur County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 14.0 | 20.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 28.0 | 40.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 116 | 168 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,611 | $5,203 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 19.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,192 | 7,643 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 293 | 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 Malheur County is 14 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
Malheur County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Malheur County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.5% | 32.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.74 | 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
Malheur County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Malheur County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.8 | 78.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.3% | 15.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.4% | 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).
Malheur County, OR Compared With Nearby Counties
Malheur County, OR is the 3rd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 31,953 residents against a local median of 138,781. Malheur County, OR's commute, at 14.0 min, runs 36% below the 21.7 min typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $54,079 against a local median of $72,196, 25% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Malheur County, OR is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 12.5 min on commute, so Malheur County, OR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Malheur County, OR has the lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malheur County, OR | 31,953 | $54,079 #5/5 | $294,932 #4/5 | 14.0 min #1/5 |
| Canyon County, ID | 250,790 | $76,988 | $362,701 | 23.2 min |
| Payette County, ID | 26,771 | $67,405 | $354,910 | 17.7 min |
| Ada County, ID | 518,902 | $92,349 | $485,999 | 20.2 min |
| Gem County, ID | 20,614 | $65,574 | $112,500 | 30.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Malheur County, Oregon.
How many people live in Malheur County, Oregon?
About 31,953 people live in Malheur County, Oregon, in 10,292 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 36.9, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Malheur County, Oregon urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Malheur County, Oregon has 3 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 4% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Malheur County, Oregon?
The median home costs 5.5 times the median household income ($294,932 against $54,079), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $821 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Malheur County, Oregon have a college degree?
13.5% of adults in Malheur County, Oregon hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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