Wasco County, Oregon: commercial real estate data.
Wasco County, Oregon has a population of 26,552 across 2,382 square miles, down 0.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.39 bn in 2024, 735 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 31 7(a) approvals worth $12.5 m.
119 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Wasco County
How many people live in Wasco County
- Population26,552
- Households10,563
- Average household size2.51
- Median household income$64,175
- Median age41.0
- Median gross rent$1,008 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$367,400
- Home value to household income5.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher22.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over18,909
- Population under 185,682
- Share under 1821.4 percent
- Population 65 and over5,685
- Share 65 and over21.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6415,185
- Civilian labor force12,892
- Unemployment rate7.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over61.8 percent
- Rank by population among Oregon counties22nd of 36
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1594th
Wasco County is the 22nd largest of 36 Oregon counties by population. A median home costs 5.7 times median household income, which is a stretched ownership market and usually shows up as rental demand. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.4 percent against 21.4 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Wasco County
Is Wasco County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.60 percent
- Census 2020 base population26,667
- Births, 2024276
- Deaths, 2024407
- Natural change, 2024-131
- Net domestic migration, 2024177
- Net international migration, 202459
- Total net migration, 2024236
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024248
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2058th
The county has lost 0.60 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Wasco County
Where people moving to Wasco County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving781
- People arriving, from those returns1,346
- Adjusted gross income arriving$46.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$60,018
- Largest single originWasco County Non-migrants (9,609 households)
- Largest single destination (9,609 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wasco County Non-migrants | 9,609 | 19,039 | $668.1 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 276 | 471 | $15.4 m |
| Other flows - West | 193 | 335 | $10.1 m |
| Hood River County | 128 | 220 | $8.0 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 127 | 202 | $7.1 m |
| Multnomah County | 93 | 173 | $7.4 m |
| Klickitat County | 75 | 141 | $3.9 m |
| Other flows - South | 50 | 83 | $3.0 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Wasco County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Wasco County
What the Wasco County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$2.39 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.15 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 202411.3 percent
- GDP change over five years46.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Oregon counties19th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1131st
- GDP per resident$90,124
Output grew 11.3 percent in the latest year and 46.1 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Wasco County
Who employs people in Wasco County
- Covered employment, annual average11,501
- Establishments reporting1,108
- Average annual pay$56,698
- Average weekly wage$1,090
- Sector 62, employment2,177
- Sector 62, average annual pay$61,981
- Sector 44-45, employment1,582
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$39,546
- Sector 72, employment1,219
- Sector 72, average annual pay$27,189
- Sector 31-33, employment466
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$66,445
- Sector 23, employment444
- Sector 81, employment374
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 2,177 | 172 | $61,981 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,582 | 111 | $39,546 |
| Sector 72 | 1,219 | 96 | $27,189 |
| Sector 31-33 | 466 | 38 | $66,445 |
| Sector 23 | 444 | 96 | $71,837 |
| Sector 81 | 374 | 86 | $37,202 |
| Sector 56 | 293 | 52 | $48,035 |
| Sector 51 | 268 | 22 | $232,272 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,177 jobs, 18.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Wasco County
What businesses operate in Wasco County
- Establishments, all industries735
- Employment at those establishments7,679
- Annual payroll$394.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents27.7
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Wasco County
What is being built in Wasco County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202448
- Declared construction value permitted$15.2 m
- Single family units authorised42
- Multifamily units authorised6
- Multifamily share of units12.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$317,500
- Units authorised per 1,000 households4.5
Multifamily is 12.5 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Wasco County
How much SBA lending happens in Wasco County
- 7(a) approvals recorded31
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$12.5 m
- Average 7(a) approval$403,435
- Median 7(a) approval$40,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$728,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)324
- Jobs per approval10.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active10
- Distinct industries receiving approvals22
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer19.4 percent
- Loans on real estate terms6
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter25
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals6.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countElectrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors (3)
- Most active lenderColumbia Bank (20)
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$479,000
- Average 504 approval$239,500
- Median 504 approval$279,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval2.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved8.4
- Most active CDCEvergreen Business Capital (2)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals93.9 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$13.0 m
The average approval of $403,435 sits well above the median of $40,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 19.4 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Wasco County
Do SBA loans in Wasco County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded11
- Paid in full11
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure15
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Paid in full11
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed3
Of the 11 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Wasco County
Which parts of Wasco County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- The Dalles, approvals28
- Mosier, approvals2
- DUFUR, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| The Dalles | 28 | $12,410,700 |
| Mosier | 2 | $70,800 |
| DUFUR | 1 | $25,000 |
The Dalles accounts for 28 approvals against 2 in Mosier. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Wasco County
How big is Wasco County
- Land area2,382 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Oregon counties14th of 36
- Width, east to west69.8 mi
- Height, north to south61 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land11
- Establishments per square mile0.31
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Wasco County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Wasco County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population26,552
- Households10,563
- Average household size2.51
- Median household income$64,175
- Median age41.0
Common questions
Wasco County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Wasco County, Oregon?
26,552, in 10,563 households, ranking 22nd of 36 Oregon counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Wasco County growing?
The population has fallen 0.60 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 276 births against 407 deaths, with net migration of 236. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Wasco County?
$64,175. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $367,400, which is 5.7 times income, and median gross rent is $1,008 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Wasco County?
735 establishments, employing 7,679 people with an annual payroll of $394.2 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Wasco County?
Average annual pay is $56,698, or $1,090 a week, across 11,501 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Wasco County?
31 7(a) approvals totalling $12.5 m since FY2020, across 10 lenders, with a median approval of $40,000, plus 2 504 approvals worth $479,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Wasco County get paid back?
Of the 11 loans that have reached a final outcome, 11 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Wasco County?
48 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $15.2 m. Multifamily was 12.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Wasco County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Wasco County come from?
The largest single origin is Wasco County Non-migrants, with 9,609 households. Arriving households report an average income of $60,018 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Wasco County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Wasco County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.