Deschutes County, Oregon


Deschutes County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 198,253. The county seat is Bend. The county was created in 1916 out of part of Crook County and was named for the Deschutes River, which itself was named by French-Canadian trappers of the early 19th century. It is the political and economic hub of Central Oregon. Deschutes comprises the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area and media market. Deschutes is Oregon's fastest-growing and most recently formed county.

History

French-Canadian fur trappers of the Hudson's Bay Company gave the name Rivière des Chutes to the Deschutes River, from which the county derived its name.
On December 13, 1916, Deschutes County was created from the southern part of Crook County. Bend has been the county seat since the county's formation. It was the last county in Oregon to be established.
The Shevlin-Hixon Lumber Company also operated within the Bend area processing Ponderosa pine trees.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 198,253. Of the residents, 20.2% were under the age of 18 and 21.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 42.5 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.3 males. 70.8% of residents lived in urban areas and 29.2% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 85.3% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.4% from some other race, and 8.7% from two or more races. Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 8.7% of the population.
There were 80,217 households in the county, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 94,110 housing units, of which 14.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.9% were owner-occupied and 31.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.2%.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone 60,22772,303107,177139,470164,59596.92%96.46%92.90%88.42%83.02%
Black or African American alone 38782075247860.06%0.10%0.18%0.33%0.40%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 4936098751,1971,1390.79%0.81%0.76%0.76%0.57%
Asian alone 2574268311,4122,4210.41%0.57%0.72%0.90%1.22%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone xx81183258xx0.07%0.12%0.13%
Race and ethnicity in [the United States census|Other race] alone 7516771411,0280.12%0.02%0.07%0.09%0.52%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx1,8153,08810,789xx1.57%1.96%5.44%
Hispanic or Latino 1,0521,5264,30411,71817,2371.69%2.04%3.73%7.43%8.69%
Total62,14274,958115,367157,733198,253 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 157,733 people, 64,090 households, and 43,062 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 80,139 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 92.2% white, 0.9% Asian, 0.9% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.0% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.0% were German, 15.3% were Irish, 14.5% were English, and 4.8% were American.
Of the 64,090 households, 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.8% were non-families, and 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age was 40.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $53,071 and the median income for a family was $61,605. Males had a median income of $43,543 versus $33,207 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,920. About 7.6% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 115,367 people, 45,595 households, and 31,962 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 54,583 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 94.85% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 0.83% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.36% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. 3.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.4% were of German, 13.2% English, 11.4% Irish and 9.1% American ancestry.
There were 45,595 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, 24.80% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,847, and the median income for a family was $48,403. Males had a median income of $34,070 versus $25,069 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,767. About 6.30% of families and 9.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.40% of those under age 18 and 6.10% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

From the 1920s to the 1980s, Deschutes County was a swing county, going for the winner of the Presidency every time but 1960. From the 1990s to the 2010s, Deschutes County fell politically more in line with the conservative eastern side of Oregon than the liberal western side. However, this has shifted in recent years, due in large part to the rapid growth and urbanization within the city of Bend. By January 2021, a narrow plurality of registered voters in Deschutes County were registered with the Democratic Party. In addition, Joe Biden carried the county with 52.7% of the vote in the 2020 [United States presidential election in Oregon|2020 presidential election] compared to 44.4% of the vote for Donald Trump, thereby marking the first time a Democratic Party candidate won the county since 1992 and the first time a Democratic Party candidate received a majority of the vote in the county since 1964.
In 2024 United States [presidential election in Oregon|2024], Deschutes County swung to the left, despite Oregon and the country swinging to the right. Kamala Harris received 53.47% of the vote, the highest vote share for a Democratic presidential nominee since 1964 in the county. This was also the first time the county voted for a losing Democratic nominee.
In 2008, the Democratic Party won the Oregon House seat encompassing the city of Bend, becoming the only Democratic-controlled district east of the Cascades, though the Republicans retook the seat in 2010. Republicans would hold the seat for the remainder of the decade until 2020, when Democrat Jason Kropf was elected to the State House and re-elected in 2022. In 2022, the 53rd District, including Redmond, elected Democrat Emerson Levy to the Oregon House. Portions of Deschutes County also fall into the 55th, 59th and 60th House Districts, respectively held by Republicans E. Werner Reschke, Vikki Breese-Iverson and Mark Owens. Deschutes County is also divvied up between the 27th, 28th and 30th Senate Districts in the Oregon Senate, respectively represented by Republicans Tim Knopp, Dennis Linthicum and Lynn Findley.
Deschutes County is currently one of 11 counties in Oregon in which therapeutic psilocybin is legal.

Economy

During the 1990s, Deschutes County experienced the most rapid growth of any county in Oregon, largely due to the year-round availability of recreational activities, and its location as the nearest population center to much of the central Cascade Range. Beyond tourism, principal industries in the county are lumber, ranching and agriculture—chiefly potatoes. The Forest Service owns 51% of the lands within the county boundaries.
Deschutes County is the home of four destination resorts as defined by Oregon's Department of Land Conservation and Development. These resorts are major employers within the county. Three of these resorts, Sunriver, Eagle Crest, and Pronghorn, are among the county's ten largest tax payers.

Geology

The overall defining landscape of Deschutes County is primarily marked with that of lava flows. Most of the lava found in Deschutes County issued forth from Newberry Volcano located just south of Bend. Because of this, many lava tubes are located within, including the prominent Lava River Cave. As a consequence, the county is the most cave-rich in the state of Oregon, with over 500 known caves in the county. Other prominent lava flows exist too, especially those related to the Mount Bachelor Volcanic Chain which consists of Mount Bachelor as well as three smaller shield volcanos, and a series of cinder cones.
Image:The Three Sisters from Peter Skene Ogden State Park.jpg|thumb|left|170px|The Three Sisters mountains visible over the Crooked River Railroad Bridge north of Terrebonne
Large volcanoes serve as a backdrop to the city of Bend in Deschutes County, ranging from the prominent Three Sisters, Mount Washington, Mount Bachelor, Broken Top, Newberry, Tumalo Mountain, Maiden Peak and others. A group of geologists have discovered Smith Rock State Park is part of an ancient supervolcano called the Crooked River caldera with a rim nearly six times the diameter of Newberry Volcano's caldera. This ancient supervolcano has long gone extinct. Its crater rim is barely recognizable as remnants mark portions of Powell Buttes, Gray Butte, and the western front of the Ochoco Mountains at Barnes Butte.
On the eastern side of the county, it is mostly characterized by large buttes of much older volcanic origin. Most of these did not create any proper lava flows, or at least none that are known to exist. Some of the prominent buttes include Horse Ridge, Pine Mountain, China Hat, and several others on the county border.
Two main types of lava flows are found within the county. The most common are the pāhoehoe flows which have been partially buried by volcanic ash, tephra deposits, and dirt over tens to hundreds of thousands of years. The aā flows are fewer but much more prominent, with the most notable being associated with Lava Butte and the Lava Cast Forest in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

Education

School districts include:
The former Brothers School District merged into the Crook County district effective 2006.
Deschutes County is in the boundary of Central Oregon Community College.