La Grande, OR

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

26,144

US Senator

Ron Wyden

Democratic Party

US Senator

Jeff Merkley

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

0.249% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

16.1%

1.58% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$65,661

2.26% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$294,600

Population & Diversity

La Grande, OR is home to a population of 26.1k people, from which 97.6% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.82% of La Grande, OR residents were born outside of the country (1k people).

In 2024, there were 30.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (22.4k people) in La Grande, OR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 728 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 582 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.6%

2024 Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.6% of La Grande, OR residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in La Grande, OR was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in La Grande, OR compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in La Grande, OR

White (Non-Hispanic)
22.4k ± 225
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
728 ± 122
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
582 ± 180

5.51%

Hispanic Population

1.44k people

5.51% of the people in La Grande, OR are hispanic (1.44k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in La Grande, OR as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Oregon.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
144,017 ± 9,158 people
Vietnam
20,980 ± 3,547 people
India
20,652 ± 3,520 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Oregon was Mexico, the natal country of 144,017 Oregon residents, followed by Vietnam with 20,980 and India with 20,652.

Foreign-Born Population

3.82%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1k people

3.26%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

854 people

As of 2024, 3.82% of La Grande, OR residents (1k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in La Grande, OR was 3.26%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in La Grande, OR compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
516 ± 161
Vietnam
500 ± 124
Gulf War (1990s)
116 ± 59

La Grande, OR has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.03 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in La Grande, OR.

Economy

The economy of La Grande, OR employs 11.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in La Grande, OR were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,788 people), Retail Trade (1,569 people), and Educational Services (1,122 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($115,865), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($79,716), and Information ($79,583).

Employment

Occupations

11.8k

2024 Value

± 708

1 Year growth

± 8.16%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in La Grande, OR grew at a rate of 1%, from 11.7k employees to 11.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in La Grande, OR, are Sales & Related Occupations (1,165 people), Management Occupations (1,162 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,130 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of La Grande, OR.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Oregon.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Oregon (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

11.8k

2024 Value

± 708

1 Year growth

± 8.16%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in La Grande, OR grew at a rate of 1%, from 11.7k employees to 11.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in La Grande, OR, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,788 people), Retail Trade (1,569 people), and Educational Services (1,122 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of La Grande, OR, though some of these residents may live in La Grande, OR and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,804

Median earning men ± $3,314

$31,003

Median earning women ± $1,777

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($106,731), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($90,938), and Public Administration ($74,083).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($61,552), Wholesale Trade ($60,296), and Manufacturing ($47,917).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Oregon.

Y-Axis

2.87%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.97M people employed in Oregon. This represents a 2.87% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.1%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Oregon.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

73
Construction
55
Other Services (except Public Administration)
35
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$96.1k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$69.1k
Manufacturing
$53k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

The student population of La Grande, OR in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,120 male students and 1,774 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in La Grande, OR are White (588 and 72.9%), Hispanic or Latino (105 and 13%), Two or More Races (43 and 5.33%), and Unknown (28 and 3.47%).

The largest universities in La Grande, OR by number of degrees awarded are Eastern Oregon University (814 and 100%).

The most popular majors in La Grande, OR are Other Business Administration, Management, & Operations (88 and 10.8%), General Health & Physical Education (76 and 9.34%), and Teacher Education & Professional Development (72 and 8.85%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $9,000 for in-state students and $22,545 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in La Grande, OR, the percentage of applicants admitted was 98.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 20.1%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 2,894 (38.7% men and 61.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 2,894 students enrolled in La Grande, OR, 38.7% men and 61.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,982 records, of which 63.5% were women and 36.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Other Business Administration, Management, & Operations
88 degrees awarded
General Health & Physical Education
76 degrees awarded
General Psychology
60 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in La Grande, OR was Other Business Administration, Management, & Operations with 88 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in La Grande, OR according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Eastern Oregon University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

814 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Eastern Oregon University with 814 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 313 men were awarded degrees from institutions in La Grande, OR, which is 0.625 times less than the 501 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 588 degrees mean that there were 5.6 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 105 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($9,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,184) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,275) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in La Grande, OR was $294,600 in 2024, which is 0.885 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $260,500 to $294,600, a 13.1% increase. The homeownership rate in La Grande, OR is 65.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in La Grande, OR have an average commute time of 16.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in La Grande, OR is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$294,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$14,624

$7,141

Median Property Taxes

±$478

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In La Grande, OR the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in La Grande, OR compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

65.5%

Homeownership

2024

69.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 65.5% of the housing units in La Grande, OR were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 64.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in La Grande, OR compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$65,661

Median Household Income

± $3,326

10.9k

Number of Households

± 635

In 2024, the median household income of the 10.9k households in La Grande, OR grew to $65,661 from the previous year's value of $64,212.

The following chart displays the households in La Grande, OR distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for La Grande, OR is from Oregon.

0.459

2024 Wage GINI in Oregon

0.461

2023 Wage GINI in Oregon

In 2024, the income inequality in Oregon was 0.459 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.412% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Oregon was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Oregon in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Oregon across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (71.9%)
Carpooled (9.69%)
Worked At Home (8.53%)

In 2024, 71.9% of workers in La Grande, OR drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.69%) and those who worked at home (8.53%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

16.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in La Grande, OR have a shorter commute time (16.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.51% of the workforce in La Grande, OR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in La Grande, OR compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in La Grande, OR distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in La Grande, OR have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in La Grande, OR (4.14k out of 25.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in La Grande, OR is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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