Head Out on the Highway: Harney County Commuter Data - 2021

August 29, 2024

The thought of commuting to work may conjure images of the Westside’s urban sprawl and life in the big city, however, living in one town and working in another is common among Oregon’s rural workforce as well. The U.S. Census Bureau provides data on workforce commute patterns with its On-The-Map tool. The most recent data reveals that just under 30% of Harney County’s workforce came from outside the county in 2021 while nearly 35% of workers living in Harney commuted to jobs in a different county. 

It’s common for workers to commute to or from neighboring counties. For Harney County, 28% of inbound commuters in 2021 came from the five Oregon counties that make up its border. This accounted for 8.1% of Harney’s total workforce. Deschutes County held the top spot, shipping 11% of all inbound commuters. Deschutes supplied 3.1% of Harney’s total workforce (the largest group from Bend). Crook County supplied 1.8% of Harney’s workforce (the majority from unincorporated parts of the county) and Malheur County supplied 1.5% (the largest group from Ontario). Lake and Grant counties supplied 0.9% and 0.8% of the workforce, respectively.

The five neighboring counties served as the destination for 35% of Harney’s outbound commuters. The majority of neighboring county commuters went to Deschutes and Crook counties. Deschutes was the favored destination for commuters, receiving 16.9% of all outbound commuters. For workers who reside in Harney County, Deschutes supplied 5.9% of jobs (the majority in Bend). Crook County supplied 2.3% of jobs (the majority in Prineville). Grant and Malheur counties supplied 1.8% and 1.5%, respectively (the majority in John Day and Ontario). Lake County supplied 0.7% of jobs.

Just over 72% of Harney County’s inbound commuters and just under 65% of outbound commuters lived or worked beyond the five neighboring counties in 2021. The vast majority of Harney commuters, however, still lived and worked in Oregon: 81.6% of inbound commuters and 81.6% of outbound commuters. Klamath, Union, and Umatilla counties were high on the list of where Harney commuters lived. Klamath, Jackson, Marion, and Multnomah counties were high on the list of where commuters worked. Ada County, Idaho (part of the Boise Metropolitan Statistical Area) was the top spot for commuters outside of Oregon. The majority of commuters outside of Oregon were tied to Idaho and California. The state of Idaho shipped 7.8% of Harney County commuters while receiving 10.3%. The state of California shipped 2.1% while receiving 3.5%.

It may be difficult to imagine commuting more than one or two hours for work. For perspective, a Bend to Burns commute or an Ontario to Burns commute takes more than two hours. However, commuting is not limited to the arduous daily drive. While On-The-Map commute data doesn’t tell us how commutes occurred or how long commuters stayed for work, several scenarios are possible and likely. Commuters can be full or partial telecommuters, working for a firm outside their county of residence and infrequently making a physical commute. Home based call center employees and outside sales representatives are examples of occupations that fit this scenario. Commuters can commute for extended shifts, short stays, or even seasons, traveling to where the job demand is and returning home when the work is complete. Nurses and physicians are examples of extended shift or short stay occupations. Commuters with either of these occupations could work for a two or three day shift and then return home for three or four days. Forest fire fighters along with certain agriculture workers are examples of seasonal positions that require extended stays, but might not encourage year round residence.   

The accompanying table provides some additional points of interest. Harney County exports more workers than the county imports. The largest share of commuters leaving the county earned more than $3,333 a month. The number of commuters entering the county who earned from $1,251 to $3,333 a month was virtually the same as those who earned more than $3,333 a month.  In addition, the largest share of commuters in either direction were 30 to 54 years old. On-The-Map can provide details not contained in this report or the table, so check out the data tool or drop me a line if you have any questions.