Oregonians Migrating to Other States

Oregon has experienced a net gain of population each year since the early 1980s. In-migration from other states fuels that population growth. Even so, each year many residents leave Oregon for other destinations. The Oregonian recently published an article about the destinations of the state's departed population.

Stats from the U.S. Census Bureau show that roughly 100,000 Oregonians moved to another state in 2011. Not surprisingly, their most common destinations were neighboring states: 29,000 moved to Washington, and 18,000 headed to California. Of course some in neighboring states moved to Oregon at the same time, but Washington saw a net gain of 7,300 Oregonians last year.

Other common destinations seem less intuitive. Nearly 5,500 moved to Colorado, and another 4,600 made their way to Arizona. Another 3,500 Oregonians moved east to Virginia. As is the case with Washington, Oregon added residents from these states too, but more Oregonians left than Coloradans or Virginians arrived. Colorado had a net gain of 4,300 from Oregon, while Virginia's net gain totaled 2,300.