Oregon's population keeps growing in 2018, but slower

By Elliot Njus | The Oregonian/OregonLive | Posted November 19, 2018 at 11:35 AM

Oregon continued to grow at a steady clip between 2017 and 2018, but the growth slowed significantly from the year before.

The state added 54,200 new residents during the year ending July 1, 2018, according to new estimates from the Population Research Center at Portland State University. 

That brought the state's population to about 4,195,300.

The bulk of the growth, 88 percent, came from 47,000 more people moving into the state than moving away. That's 9,000 fewer new arrivals than the year before.

Natural increase -- births minus deaths -- accounted for the rest. But natural population growth peaked in 2008 and has since slowed as the state's population has grown older.

Multnomah and Washington counties saw the biggest increases, each adding more than 10,000 new residents. 

But Deschutes County grew the most on a percentage basis -- its 6,050 new residents represent a 3.3 percent increase in population, compared to Multnomah County's 1.3 percent growth and Washington County's 1.7 percent.

Several of the state's smallest counties -- Morrow, Lake, Grant, Wallowa, Gilliam, Sherman and Wheeler -- along with larger Coos County, were estimated to have lost residents, but not more than a few dozen.

It's the fourth consecutive year that Oregon's population has grown by more than 50,000 residents, according to the Population Research Center.

The population estimates -- along with those produced by the U.S. Census Bureau -- aren't a full accounting, like the decennial census, but rather a calculation using inputs like birth and death records, housing permits and tax returns.

But it's the 2020 Census, a door-to-door count, that could mean a new congressional seat for Oregon. 

The state is forecast to gain a sixth seat if its population growth continues apace. The census also sets a baseline for the population estimates used for the distribution of federal funds.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; @enjus

Source: https://www.oregonlive.com/expo/news/erry-2018/11/7b5de0e930193/oregons-population-keeps-growi.html