Document Type

Report

Publication Date

6-30-2020

Subjects

Oregon -- Population -- Statistics, Demographic surveys -- Oregon, Population forecasting -- Oregon -- Hood River County

Abstract

Different sub‐areas within Oregon’s counties experience different growth patterns. Those patterns combine to collectively determine county‐level demographic changes. Hood River County is comprised of two types of sub‐areas: urban‐growth boundary (UGB) areas (Cascade Locks and the City of Hood River) and areas outside of those UGBs. In this report, we describe demographic trends and forecasts for the county as a whole as well as its sub‐areas.

Hood River County’s total population has grown steadily over the last half century, with average annual growth rates exceeding 1 percent in every period except during Oregon’s deep 1980s recession and the Great Recession (see Figure 3). The county’s sub‐areas exhibited different growth patterns over the last two decades. The City of Hood River grew quickest at 1.4 percent annually. Meanwhile, Cascade Locks and non‐UGB areas experienced greater fluctuations, with Cascade Locks jumping from 0.3 percent annual growth during the 2000s to 1.4 percent growth during the 2010s, and non‐UGB areas slowing from 0.6 percent annual growth during the 2000s to 0.4 percent growth during the 2010s (see Figure 1).

Considered as a whole, Hood River County’s population growth between 2000 and 2020 resulted from a combination of natural population increase (births exceeding deaths) and net in‐migration. However, since about 2010, Hood River County’s annual natural population increase has decreased in size, falling from roughly 120 to 60 people. This is due to several factors. Most notably, between 2000 and 2010, Hood River County’s total fertility rate fell much more drastically than the statewide rate. This—combined with the national trend of aging population—led to fewer births and more deaths over time and, thus, declining natural increase. Net migration, on the other hand, was much more variable than the steadily declining natural increase. Frequently, it was larger in magnitude too, which enabled it to exert considerable influence over the county’s growth rates. In years with strong net in‐migration, the county experienced strong growth rates. However, in years with weak in‐migration or even out‐migration, growth rates slowed to a crawl.

Description

This report is published by the Population Research Center at Portland State University, and is a product of the Oregon Population Forecast Program.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/37598

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