Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Columbia County, OR

Welcome to Columbia County.

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Columbia County has a population of 52.9 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 689 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 36%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $1.8 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Columbia County voted four out of six times for Democrats and two times for Republican candidates.

Columbia County comprises Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Saint Helens.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Clatsop County, Multnomah County, Tillamook County, Washington County, Clark County, Cowlitz County, and Wahkiakum County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
48.74%44.2%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
50.42%47.63%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
54.06%42.04%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
50.28%45.12%+
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
38.2%49.65%+
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
42.94%53.23%+
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%36%
Government
Enterprises
14%22%
Private Industries86%38%
Agriculture2%13%
Mining1%67%
Utilities11%0%
Construction5%26%
Manufacturing13%31%
– Durable8%22%
– Nondurable5%47%
Trade12%56%
– Wholesale5%75%
– Retail6%43%
Transportation3%21%
Information1%61%
Finance & Insurance3%26%
Real Estate18%3%
Professional &
Business Services
5%0%
Educational Services<1%62%
Healthcare &
Social Services
5%31%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
<1%43%
Accommodation &
Food Services
3%44%
Other Services23%37%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers419
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
632
📺 Electronics & Appliance
🛒 Grocery Stores1964
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores427
⚕️ Health & Personal Care524
⛽ Gasoline Stations1851
👕 Clothing Stores
👠 Shoe Stores
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry
🏸 Sporting Goods
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers
🏬 Department Stores732
💐 Florists
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 429
🍺 Bars & Taverns1463
🍽️ Full-service restaurants3866
🍔 Limited-service restaurants2855
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers2260
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation313
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%120%$346,300 N/A
Top 20%47%$204,800 $210,900
Next highest 20%23%$101,700 $126,600
Middle 20%16%$68,000 $82,700
Second lowest 20%10%$41,600 $53,100
Bottom 20%4%$16,800 $31,500
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries67%$83,000
Self-Employment11%$31,300
Investment Income120%$24,300
Social Security41%$23,300
Supplemental Security6%$11,700
Public Assistance5%Below $10,000
Retirement31%$31,000
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%1%4%5%
$25K
– $49K
<1%5%5%7%
$50K
– $99K
1%11%11%9%
$100K
– $199K
1%9%15%7%
$200K
& more
<1%1%4%1%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$45,500 $34,000
African-American$15,100 $16,000
Hispanic$41,900 $40,300
Asian$33,200 $45,200
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$31,000 $22,500
Highschool & GED$43,900 $28,500
Some College to
Associate’s
$50,000 $38,000
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$55,200 $51,200
Graduate Degree$101,300 $60,200
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$72,500 $53,800
STEM2$96,500 $89,600
Gray-Collar3$62,500 $37,200
Pink-Collar4$22,800 $21,300
Sales5$41,400 $27,400
Blue-Collar6$39,800 $29,500
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding++$
Cold Waves
Drought
Earthquake+$$
Hail+
Heat Waves+$
Hurricane
Ice Storm+$
Landslide+$
Lightning+
Riverine Flooding++$
Strong Wind+$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity++$
Wildfires+
Winter Weather+
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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ZIP Codes in Columbia County