Morrow County, Oregon facts for kids

Morrow County
	Morrow County, Oregon
	Map
	; Location in the state of Oregon
	; Oregon's location in the U.S.
	Statistics
Founded	February 16, 1885
Seat	Heppner
Largest City	Boardman
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 2,049 sq mi (5,307 km²); 2,032 sq mi (5,263 km²); 17 sq mi (44 km²), 0.8%
PopulationEst.; - (2015); - Density	; 11,190; 5.5/sq mi (2/km²)
Time zone	Pacific: UTC-8/-7
	Website: www.co.morrow.or.us/

Morrow County is a county in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 census, the population was 11,173. The county seat is Heppner. The county is named for one of its first white settlers, Jackson L. Morrow, who was a member of the state legislature when the county was created. Half of the Umatilla Chemical Depot, which includes the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, is within the county.

Morrow County is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston, OR, Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is located on the south side of the Columbia River and is included in the eight-county definition of Eastern Oregon.

History

Morrow County was created in 1885 from the western portion of Umatilla County and a small portion of eastern Wasco County. Heppner was designated the temporary county seat at the time the county was created and narrowly defeated Lexington in the election held in 1887 to determine the permanent county seat.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,049 square miles (5,310 km²), of which 2,032 square miles (5,260 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (0.8%) is covered by water.

Adjacent counties

Gilliam County - west
Wheeler County - southwest
Grant County - south
Umatilla County - east
Benton County, Washington - north
Klickitat County, Washington - northwest

National protected areas

Umatilla National Forest (part)
Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	4,205	—
1900	4,151	−1.3%
1910	4,357	5.0%
1920	5,617	28.9%
1930	4,941	−12.0%
1940	4,337	−12.2%
1950	4,783	10.3%
1960	4,871	1.8%
1970	4,465	−8.3%
1980	7,519	68.4%
1990	7,625	1.4%
2000	10,995	44.2%
2010	11,173	1.6%
Est. 2015	11,190	0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2015

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,995 people, 3,776 households, and 2,718 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 4,296 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.27% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 1.42% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 19.54% from other races, and 2.14% from two or more races. 24.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.6% were of German, 12.8% American, 8.3% Irish and 8.0% English ancestry. 77.3% spoke English and 22.3% Spanish as their first language.

There were 3,776 households out of which 38.91% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.60% were married couples living together, 8.87% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.70% were non-families. 18.13% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the county, the population was spread out with 30.80% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 106.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,525, and the median income for a family was $40,731. Males had a median income of $32,328 versus $22,887 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,843. 14.80% of the population and 11.30% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.60% of those under the age of 18 and 10.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 11,173 people, 3,916 households, and 2,953 families residing in the county. The population density was 5.5 inhabitants per square mile (2.1/km²). There were 4,442 housing units at an average density of 2.2 per square mile (0.85/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.7% white, 1.2% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 16.9% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 31.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.5% were German, 13.1% were English, 10.7% were Irish, and 5.0% were American.

Of the 3,916 households, 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.6% were non-families, and 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.25. The median age was 36.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,902 and the median income for a family was $49,868. Males had a median income of $38,045 versus $30,173 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,201. About 12.4% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.