We’re probably bigger than you think…
Yamhill has 105,000 residents, and is the 10th largest county in Oregon, with a population equal to Baker, Crook, Curry, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Lake, Morrow, and Wallowa counties combined, nearly as populated as the smallest 10 counties in Oregon.
We’re growing fast…
Yamhill County recorded 84,000 residents in the 2000 census, and is estimated to have 105,000 in 2016: a 30% increase in just over 15 years.
And we’re not quite as white as the rest of Oregon.
According to the US Census, Yamhill County is 78% White, 16% Latino, and 2% American Indian. The census recorded 9% of the population as foreign born, and 8% as veterans. Yamhill County has the 9th largest Hispanic or Latino population in the state (Hood River, Morrow, Malheur have over 30%).
Agriculture is a big deal…
Yamhill County has nearly 180,000 acres in farmland, 60% of which is cropland (mostly grass seed). It is the 6th largest producer of agricultural products by value in the state of Oregon. The county received nearly $2.5 million in government agricultural subsidies in 2012. Nursery products were the highest valued crop, followed by fruits, nuts and berries.
…but most jobs are in the manufacturing, education, and health care sectors.
35% of jobs in Yamhill County are in the farm sector. The largest non-farm employment areas are in manufacturing, health care, retail, and include 3,800 local government jobs, 2,300 of which are educational.
Our public schools are the largest employer in the county…
McMinnville School District is the largest district in the county, with 6,786 students in 2017. 56% of McMinnville students qualify for school lunches. 34% of the student population is Latino, and 12.5% are enrolled in English Language classes. McMinnville’s 2017-18 budget is $197,848,015. The school district employs nearly 800 employees, and over 90% of the teachers have master’s degrees.
Newberg School District is the second largest district in the county, with 5,007 students in 2017. 15% of students are English Language Learners. Newberg operates on a budget of $76,655,427 in the 2017-18 school year. 46% of Newberg students qualify for school lunches. The district employees 577 employees, and 61% of teachers have master’s degrees.
and while our unemployment rate is better than the state and national rate,
In December 2017, Yamhill County’s unemployment rate was 3.7%, lower than the state and national rates for the same month. County residents contributed $131 million in state income taxes in 2014.
not all of those jobs pay well enough:
Yamhill County’s average adjusted income was $58,000 in 2014 (the national average was $73,000). Yamhill County’s average income ranks 10th in the state.
In 2014, the Oregonian collated statistics which showed that 16% of Yamhill County residents were below the poverty line. 20% of the population received food stamps, and 25% of the population qualified for Medicaid.
In 2017, the YCAP Point-in-Time counted 1,000 people living in shelters, unsheltered, or precariously housed. Almost all of them identified as White. Many of those counted have jobs, but those jobs do not pay well enough to cover housing in the county’s 35,000 housing units, of which the median value in 2016 was $236,000.