Oregon’s Richest County Revealed as Rural Regions Fall Further Behind

Deschutes County, the center of Oregon’s tourism and outdoor recreation industry, and an established manufacturing and aviation hub, has the highest personal incomes in the Beaver State.

Annual Incomes in Deschutes County are $16,000 Above the State Average

According to federal figures, residents of Deschutes County have the highest annual incomes, at $87,000 per capita, $16,000 above the state average.

Based on 2024 Census data, the median age of residents in Deschutes is 43.1 years, higher than the Oregon median age of 40.7 and the national median age of 39.2.

The main incorporated cities in Deschutes are Bend, Redmond, Sisters, and La Pine. Bend is the largest city and is the center for tourism and outdoor recreation, while Redmond is a manufacturing and aviation hub with a major airport.

Additionally, the county is home to Sunriver, a major unincorporated resort community, often considered a primary destination.

Malheur is the “Poorest” County

The “poorest” county based on annual income per capita is Malheur, with an average of $44,000, nearly half of what residents in Deschutes receive.

The disparities in income are primarily due to the economic gap between salaries paid in urban and rural locations.

While residents of metropolitan Portland fare best on aggregate, rural residents in eastern and southern Oregon earn considerably less.

According to a report by the Oregon Department of Employment, high incomes do not necessarily reflect larger wage packets.

Many wealthy Oregonians enjoy high incomes from investments. This fact is true of more than 25% of people living in Bend and neighboring communities who earn financial wealth from investments.

The report highlights that investment income is the reason why residents of Deschutes County have the highest incomes in the state, but not the highest wages.

Washington County is Home to the Highest Wage Earners

The highest wage earners in the state live in Washington County, where annual per capita earnings are $55,000.

People who rely on wages for the biggest share of their income are less likely to have investments. They are more likely, however, to rely on government support such as unemployment insurance and Social Security.

As the oldest state in the West, Oregon has a high proportion of retired residents drawing pensions and Social Security.

Curry County has the oldest population, with a high percentage of households in the 65 or older category living alone. Higher rates of seniors living alone are also found in Coos, Josephine, and Wallowa Counties.

At $70, 685, Oregon’s average per-capita personal income was ranked 20th nationally in 2024. Yet, because the state’s high cost of living, those nominal gains translated into weaker real purchasing power than the headline ranking suggests, revealing ongoing affordability pressures for many households.