Deschutes County Migration: Insights from Internal Revenue Service Data

by Andrew Grimoldby

December 16, 2024

Net migration in Deschutes County was positive (1,848) in 2022, according to 2021-2022 migration patterns recently released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Migration data for the United States are based on year-to-year address changes reported on individual income tax returns filed with the IRS. They present migration patterns by state or by county for the entire United States and are available for inflows – the number of new residents who moved to a state or county and where they migrated from –and outflows – the number of residents leaving a state or county and where they went.

These migration patterns show the number of returns and exemptions (a good proxy for people) that filed their federal taxes in a different county from the previous year. Not only can this data help show the volume of migrants into or out of Deschutes County, but it also reveals the county of origin for those moving here. On the other hand, we can also track where folks move to when they file their taxes with a different address than their prior year’s tax return.

Between 2021 and 2022, Oregon had 115,122 individuals out-migrate from Oregon and 108,226 migrate to Oregon, for a net loss of 6,896. Of those who came to Oregon, most were from California (30,421) and Washington (19,487). The next highest in-migration came from Arizona (5,231), then Texas (5,224). Of those who left Oregon, 25,470 went to Washington, and 15,806 went to California. A substantial amount also went to Texas (9,108), Arizona (6,190), and Idaho (6,190). 

Of the 13,327 who migrated to Deschutes County, 5,598 came from different counties in Oregon, and 7,729 came from a different state. The Portland tri-county area led the way in migration into Deschutes County, with 1,004 coming from Multnomah County, 772 from Washington County, and 592 from Clackamas County. Deschutes County also saw 481 people come from Lane County, and 446 people coming from King County in Washington.

Graph showing top 20 migration counties into Deschutes County (2021-2022)

Among the 11,479 who left Deschutes County, 4,534 stayed in Oregon, while 6,945 went to a different state. Of those who left Deschutes County, 784 went to Crook County, 510 went to Jefferson County, 442 went to Lane County, 379 went to Multnomah County, and 340 went to Maricopa County in Arizona.

Graph showing top 20 migration counties out of Deschutes County (2021-2022)

Population estimates from Portland State University Population Research Center show a net increase of 4,171 residents in Deschutes County from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022 – showing a greater increase than the IRS and the Census Bureau estimates. The population estimates are not based on exactly the same time period as the IRS tax year data. Also, not everyone who migrated to or from an area may have filed taxes during the period the IRS collects data. Late filers would be excluded from the annual IRS migration data. 

About the IRS Migration Data

The data is available for Filing Years 1991 through 2022 and includes:
•    Number of returns filed, which approximates the number of households that migrated
•    Number of personal exemptions claimed, which approximates the number of individuals
•    Total adjusted gross income, starting with Filing Year 1995
•    Aggregate migration flows at the State level, by the size of adjusted gross income (AGI) and age of the primary taxpayer, starting with Filing Year 2011.

For more information and to download the data, go to https://www.irs.gov/statistics/soi-tax-stats-migration-data.

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