Columbia County Income Per Person Rose in 2024 but Trailed Oregon and the Nation
October 30, 2026Income per person in Columbia County reached $60,858 in 2024, an increase of 4.5% from 2023 without adjusting for inflation.
Earnings flowing into the county exceeded earnings flowing out by $1.05 billion in 2024. That net inflow was equivalent to 32.0% of Columbia’s total personal income.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) measures per capita personal income (PCPI) by dividing residents’ total personal income by the population. It includes earnings from work, dividends, interest, rent, and transfer receipts such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and unemployment benefits. The measure includes people who do not work, so it differs from an average wage or a typical household’s income.
Income Per Person Was Lower Than in Oregon and the U.S.
Oregon’s income per person was $70,823 in 2024, compared with $73,204 in the United States. Columbia County’s income per person was 85.9% of the statewide level and 83.1% of the national level.
Earnings from work were the largest source of Columbia residents’ income. Net earnings accounted for 59.4% of personal income in 2024, followed by transfer receipts at 26.4% and dividends, interest, and rent at 14.3%. Net earnings are measured after contributions to government social insurance programs and are assigned to where people live, including earnings from work outside the county.
Income Growth Trailed the State and Nation
Columbia’s 4.5% increase in income per person from 2023 to 2024 was slightly below the national increase of 4.6%. Oregon’s income per person grew 5.0% over the same period.
From 2001 to 2024, Columbia’s income per person grew an average of 3.6% a year, compared with 4.0% in Oregon and 3.7% nationally. These growth rates are not adjusted for inflation, so some of the increase reflects higher prices rather than greater purchasing power.
The Gap With the Nation Narrowed From 2015 to 2024
Columbia County moved closer to the national income level between 2015 and 2024. The county’s income per person rose from 82.3% of the U.S. level to 83.1%. Oregon was closer to the national level, at 96.7% in 2024.
Despite that gain, Columbia remained farther below the national level than it had been in 2001, when its income per person was 85.6% of the U.S. average. Its relative position also slipped slightly in the most recent year, down from 83.2% in 2023 as national income growth outpaced the county’s.
Earnings From Outside the County Support Residents’ Income
Per capita personal income measures income where people live, rather than where they work. The BEA adjusts earnings to account for commuters. Counties where residents earn more outside the county than incoming workers earn locally receive a positive adjustment, while counties with the opposite pattern receive a negative adjustment.
In 2024, residents received $1.45 billion in earnings from work outside the county. At the same time, $401 million in earnings from work inside Columbia went to people who lived elsewhere.
The difference between these flows was a net addition of $1.05 billion to Columbia residents’ earnings, or $19,471 per resident. BEA calls this the adjustment for residence. It is already included in the county’s personal income total.
Columbia’s 32.0% adjustment share means this net inflow was equal to about $32 for every $100 in total personal income.