Wasco County, Oregon Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Wasco 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
-
C
Income Below average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Wasco County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 26,553 | 4,252,306 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 11.1 | 43.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.43% | 0.82% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.2 | 40.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 10,563 | 1,717,698 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Wasco County grew by 11.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 26,553 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Wasco County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 20.3% of residents. That is 2.3 points above Oregon as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,089 19.2% -1.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,289 19.9% -3.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,246 19.8% -0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,392 20.3% +2.3 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 49.7% of the people living in Wasco County and men 50.3%.
- Women 49.7% Oregon 50.1%
- Men 50.3% Oregon 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Wasco County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Wasco County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Wasco County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,105 | $83,617 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.94% | 5.70% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.7% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Wasco County is about 23% lower than in Oregon.
Housing
| Metric | Wasco County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $333,688 | $406,603 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,008 | $1,525 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.5% | 63.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Wasco County is about 27.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,008 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Wasco County spend about 26 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 109 hours, about 4.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Wasco County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.1 | 20.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 26.2 | 40.3 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 109 | 168 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,383 | $5,203 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.9% | 19.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,929 | 7,643 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 383 | 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 Wasco County is 13 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
Wasco County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Wasco County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.4% | 32.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.39 | 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
Wasco County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Wasco County | Oregon Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 78.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.3% | 15.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.4% | 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).
Wasco County, OR Compared With Nearby Counties
Wasco County, OR is typical in size for this group, 26,553 residents against a local median of 23,904, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Wasco County, OR apart most is commute: 13.1 min, 35% below the local median of 20.2 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $64,105 against a local median of $76,058, 16% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Wasco County, OR is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 5.4 min on commute, so Wasco County, OR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Wasco County, OR has the lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasco County, OR | 26,553 | $64,105 #4/4 | $333,688 #2/4 | 13.1 min #1/4 |
| Jefferson County, OR | 25,203 | $76,058 | $289,999 | 20.2 min |
| Hood River County, OR | 23,904 | $90,888 | $428,354 | 15.9 min |
| Klickitat County, WA | 23,411 | $70,563 | $67,682 | 21.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Wasco County, Oregon.
How many people live in Wasco County, Oregon?
About 26,553 people live in Wasco County, Oregon, in 10,563 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 42.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Wasco County, Oregon mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Wasco County, Oregon has 11 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 13% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Wasco County, Oregon an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 5.2 times the median household income ($333,688 against $64,105), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,008 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Wasco County, Oregon?
Unemployment in Wasco County, Oregon is 7.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Wasco County, Oregon have a college degree?
20.4% of adults in Wasco County, Oregon hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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