Portland, Ore. (KOIN) – Change is afoot in the Pacific Northwest: since 2020, Oregon has seen a sharp increase in the number of residents moving away from the state.
According to new census data from the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, the Beaver State saw an increase from 110,000 people migrating out of state in 2020 to nearly 160,000 in 2022. This reframes the previously held belief that Oregon had simply seen fewer people move into the state in the years following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The key shift here is not that people stopped moving into Oregon, but rather there was a big increase in the number of people who packed up and left the state,” OEA archivist Josh Lehner said, adding that “it’s that outflow that is driving the overall migration numbers.”
Demographic details of these numbers are still being processed, but so far, the data show that people of all ages, races, and economic backgrounds have left the state. However, early assessments indicate a higher percentage of families and married households have packed their bags.
Lehner said he will continue to analyze the data and share his findings on the OEA website, saying “we will have plenty more weeks, and months ahead.”
“I will be diving into household income and poverty, including by race and ethnicity; employment by age and race and ethnicity; household formation and homeownership by age; and working from home by geographic location, occupation, and migration,” he said.
