About Yamhill County
We’re probably bigger than you think…
Yamhill has 107,000 residents, and is the 10th largest county in Oregon, with a population equal to Baker, Crook, Curry, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Morrow and Wallowa counties combined, nearly as populated as the smallest 11 counties in Oregon.
We’re growing fast…
Yamhill County recorded 85,000 residents in the 2000 census, reflecting an over 30% increase in 18 years, the 10th fastest growing county in the state. Yamhill County had 2.6% of Oregon’s population in 2016. According to a PSU study performed in 2011, Yamhill County’s estimated population in 2035 may be over 140,000, with most of the growth in McMinnville and Newberg. Median age in McMinnville and Newberg is 35 and 32, respectively, while Grande Ronde, Sheridan have median ages of 47 and 41.
and we’re more ethnically diverse than Oregon.
According to the US Census, Yamhill County is 78% White, 16% Latino, and 2% American Indian, 2% Asian. The census recorded 9% of the population as foreign born, and 8% as veterans. Yamhill County had the 9th largest Hispanic or Latino population in the state (Hood River, Morrow, Malheur have over 30%) in 2013. 94% of Yamhill County residents are US citizens.
Overall, crime is lower in Yamhill County than in the state, with just 23 crimes per 1000 residents in 2013.
Agriculture is a big deal…
Yamhill County has nearly 180,000 acres in farmland, 60% of which is cropland (mostly grass seed). It is the 6th largest producer of agricultural products by value in the state of Oregon. The county received nearly $2.5 million in government agricultural subsidies in 2012. Nursery products were the highest valued crop, followed by wine grapes, dairy products, and grass seed.
…but most jobs are in the manufacturing, education, and health care sectors.
35% of jobs in Yamhill County are in the farm sector. The largest non-farm employment areas are in manufacturing (20%), health care, retail, and include 3,800 local government jobs, 2,300 of which are educational. 35% of Yamhill County residents commute out of the county for work. This diversity of employment means Yamhill County is not dependent on any single industry or service. A-dec, a dental equipment manufacturer, is the single top employer in the county.
Our public schools are, combined, the largest employer in the county…
McMinnville School District is the largest district in the county, with 6,786 students in 2017. 56% of McMinnville students qualify for school lunches. 34% of the student population is Latino, and 12.5% are enrolled in English Language classes. McMinnville’s 2017-18 budget is $197,848,015. The school district employs nearly 800 employees, and over 90% of the teachers have master’s degrees.
Newberg School District is the second largest district in the county, with 5,007 students in 2017. 15% of students are English Language Learners. Newberg operates on a budget of $76,655,427 in the 2017-18 school year. 46% of Newberg students qualify for school lunches. The district employees 577 employees, and 61% of teachers have master’s degrees.
and while our unemployment rate is better than the state and national rate,
In December 2018, Yamhill County’s unemployment rate was 3.8%, lower than the state and national rates for the same month. According to the State of Oregon’s 2018 report, the “fastest-growing private-sector industries over the past year included: information (+40 jobs, or 19.0%), construction (+270 jobs, or 13.6%), and leisure and hospitality (+230 jobs, or 6.3%). ” County residents contributed $151 million in state income taxes in 2016.
not all of those jobs pay well enough:
Yamhill County’s average adjusted income was $62,600 in 2016 (the national average was $67,500 in 2015). Yamhill County’s average income ranks 10th in the state. Per capita personal income in 2017 was $42,800, lower than the state and national.
In 2014, the Oregonian collated statistics which showed that 16% of Yamhill County residents were below the poverty line. 20% of the population received food stamps, and 25% of the population qualified for Medicaid.
Which leaves Housing as a major issue:
68% of the housing in Yamhill County are single-family dwellings, higher than the state rate. Many jobs do not pay well enough to cover housing in the county’s 35,000 housing units, of which the median value in 2016 was $236,000. 47% of Yamhill County renters spend more than 35% of their income on rent. Lack of affordable housing may impact the immigration of qualified job applicants, according to a survey conducted in 2017.
In 2018, the YCAP Point-in-Time counted 1,300 people living in shelters, unsheltered, or precariously housed. 240 people were living in one of 7 shelters, 417 people were unsheltered (this includes cars and tents), and 729 were living in a couch surfing situation. 37 were veterans, 98 were unaccompanied youth (under the age of 24). Most of those counted were female.
Want more?
This is an amazing dataset with visualizations based primarily on 2017 ACS data.
There’s endless data available at the US Census website, FactFinder.