county

Columbia County, OR

Demographic and economic profile of Columbia County, OR, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Columbia County, OR is a small county of 53,178 residents that has grown 4.6% over five years, with a workforce oriented toward trades and industry rather than higher education—only 19.2% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, though 90.4% have a high school diploma. The labor force participation rate is 58.2%, with median worker earnings of $46,430 and an unemployment rate of 4.4%, pointing to a cost-accessible workforce relative to the broader Portland metro region. Housing remains comparatively affordable at a $390,600 median home value and $1,221 median monthly rent, with a 76.1% homeownership rate, though a mean commute of 32.9 minutes reflects the county's role as a bedroom and industrial corridor community.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

53,178

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$87,458

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

43.3 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+4.6% since 2018

Columbia County added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone45,709 (85.4%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race3,099 (5.8%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races2,719 (5.1%)
  • Some Other Race Alone503 (0.9%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone481 (0.9%)
  • Asian Alone423 (0.8%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish1,291
  2. 2.Other Asian and Pacific Island180
  3. 3.German or other West Germanic165
  4. 4.Arabic129
  5. 5.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic90

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

20.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

59.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

19.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

3.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

4,460

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$29,341

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$39,526

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

4.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

8.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance5,057
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)3,850
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)2,785
  4. 4.Construction (Group)2,483
  5. 5.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities1,942

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations7,835
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations4,670
  3. 3.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations4,595
  4. 4.Service Occupations3,838
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations3,406

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 1.55×)597
  2. 2.Manufacturing (LQ 1.54×)3,694
  3. 3.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.47×)2,083
  4. 4.Construction (LQ 1.27×)2,131
  5. 5.Retail Trade (LQ 1.15×)3,023

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$390,600

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$1,221/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

76.1%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $400,000 to $499,9993,762 (23.6%)
  • $500,000 to $749,9993,536 (22.2%)
  • $300,000 to $399,9993,308 (20.8%)
  • $750,000 to $999,9991,124 (7.1%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999983 (6.2%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999978 (6.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

19.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

90.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

58.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$46,430

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

31.7 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

4.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone16,813 (70.9%)
  • Carpooled3,202 (13.5%)
  • Worked At Home2,901 (12.2%)
  • Walked610 (2.6%)
  • Other134 (0.6%)
  • Bicycle41 (0.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.