Deschutes County saw drop in homeownership, income

Homeownership and income decreased in Deschutes County in from 2010 to 2014 over the previous five-year period, while the county’s percentage of people living in poverty increased, according to estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

However, Deschutes County saw an increase in the percentage of residents who hold academic degrees of a bachelor’s or higher, figures show.

Crook and Jefferson counties’ results were mixed.

The information comes from the Census Bureau’s latest release of five-year estimates from the American Community Survey, a continuous nationwide effort to gather housing, social and economic data.

Changes in selected topics between 2005-09 and 2010-14 are below. In some cases where the margin of error is too high, the Census Bureau listed it as no change.

Rate of homeownership

• Crook County: decreased

• Deschutes County: decreased

• Jefferson County: no change

No county in Oregon saw an increase in this category, according to the data.

In Crook and Deschutes counties, the rates of households spending 35 percent or more of their income on rent increased, according to the survey. It could not be determined in Jefferson County because of the margin of error.

Change in percentage of the population 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher

• Crook County: no change

• Deschutes County: increased

• Jefferson County: no change

No county in Oregon saw a decrease in this category.

Change in percentage of the population in poverty

• Crook County: increased

• Deschutes County: increased

• Jefferson County: no change

Change in real median household income

• Crook County: decreased

• Deschutes County: decreased

• Jefferson County: no change

No county in Oregon saw an increase in this category.

The American Community Survey collects nearly the same information that used to be gleaned from the Census long form, the detailed questionnaire that goes to a portion of the nation’s population every 10 years, according to the Census Bureau. The American Community Survey began after the 2000 Census, and its data get updated annually.

The survey “is the premier source of statistics for anyone needing detailed local information for small towns, neighborhoods and communities both rural and urban,” John Thompson, Census Bureau director, said in a news release.

Results are released in one-, three- and five-year packages, with the five-year being the most statistically reliable, especially for smaller geographic areas. For the first time, estimates released Thursday provided national data for two back-to-back five-year periods, 2005-09 and 2010-14, according to the Census Bureau.

It also provided insights into Central Oregon and elsewhere for the time periods before and after the Great Recession, which officially lasted from December 2007 until June 2009, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The American Community Survey offers details about ancestry, marital status, educational attainment, employment status, broad occupational categories, homeownership, age of housing, home heating methods and other topics. It even estimates the number of homes that completely lack plumbing facilities.

Estimates of such homes in Deschutes County dropped from 2.5 percent, or about 1,500 homes, in 2005-09 to 0.5 percent, or about 350 homes, in 2010-14. For Crook and Jefferson counties, the margins of error were too high to provide meaningful estimates.

— Reporter: 541-383-0360,

tdoran@bendbulletin.com