Washington County leads 2010 population growth

   The population of Washington County and the State of Oregon continued to grow during the past year, but at a much slower pace, as fewer people chose to move here and fewer babies were being delivered in our local hospitals.  The Population Research Center at Portland State University released their 2010 population estimates earlier this week, giving us a preview to the 2010 U.S. Census report due to be released December 31, and offering the latest information on the population growth trends of our state.

According to the Population Research Center’s latest estimates, the population of Washington County grew by only 5,500 people in the past 12 months---less than half of the growth rate recorded by Westside communities as recently as 2007.  But even at an annual growth rate of just one percent, the population growth in Washington County remained the largest among 36 Oregon counties and at twice the growth rate for the state as a whole during the past year.

This means the population growth in Washington County accounted for one in four of the 20,730 new residents arriving in Oregon during the past year.  Consistent with recent trends, the population growth of Oregon’s three largest counties in the Portland metropolitan region also represented nearly two thirds (62%) of the population growth of our state. Oregon’s largest county, Multnomah, added another 5,460 residents, while Clackamas welcomed 1,930 newcomers.

Perhaps another indicator of Oregon’s lagging economy and high unemployment rate, Oregon’s population growth last year marked the smallest annual percentage increase since the early 1980’s, with ten Oregon counties actually losing population during the past year. For more facts and figures about Oregon's population growth, see the table below: