Oregon Counties with the Most Poverty

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Thursday, June 04, 2015

Kirsten Nicolaisen, GoLocalPDX Content Manager

In the U.S., 48 million Americans live below the poverty line. Some states have tried to combat this problem by pushing to increase the minimum wage. Across Oregon 1 in 6 people are living in poverty, but certain parts of Oregon are more affected than others. 

Malheur County is more poverty-stricken than any other party of Oregon, with 25% of the population living below the poverty line (as of 2010). Malheur is followed closely by Sherman County at 22.4% and Benton County at 21.6%. 

In Multnomah County, 17.1% of the population is living below the poverty line, but it's surrounding counties- Washington, Clackamas and Hood River- have the fewest people living below the poverty line in the state. 

In order to see how poverty in Oregon has changed over time , genealogy data site MooseRoots analyzed Oregon's poverty levels in each county from 1980 to 2010. Since 1980, the poverty threshold has been updated annually to reflect changing costs of living according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The current poverty threshold for a family of four is $24,250 a year. 

Poverty has risen in every Oregon county except Wheeler and Hood River since 1980. Harney County in Southeastern Oregon has seen a 10% rise in poverty since 1980- the greatest increase in the state.  Wasco, Benton and Sherman counties also saw close to 10% increases in poverty levels. 

In Portland alone, more than 10 neighborhoods doubled or quickly increased their poverty rates in the last 40 years, according to a report by City Observatory. Five neighborhoods had poverty rates grow from under 15% in 1970 to over 30% by 2010. 

See the interactive graphs below for poverty levels and increases from 1980-2010 in each Oregon county.

Oregon | MooseRoots

Places | MooseRoots

MooseRoots | FindTheHome

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Related Slideshow: 15 Portland Area Neighborhoods With Fastest Growing Poverty

Related Articles

• Spread of Poverty is Bigger Urban Challenge for Portland than Gentrification, Report Says
• Suburban Poverty Grows in Portland by More Than 75 Percent
• Oregon Still Struggles with Rural Poverty
• Neighborhoods With the Most Poverty
• 10 Portland Neighborhoods Where Poverty is Growing Fastest

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