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About Hood River
Hood River is a river port on the Columbia River in the Columbia River Gorge, about 30 miles north of Mount Hood. It is the county seat of Hood River County. According to Wikipedia, a post office was established in 1868 under the name Dog River, the city was incorporated in 1895, and Hood River County was created in 1908, when the city became its county seat. Wikipedia also gives the city the nickname "Windsurfing Capital of the World."
Hood River in numbers
| Measure | Hood River |
|---|---|
| Population, 2020 Census | 8,313 |
| Population, ACS 2020-2024 | 8,361 |
| Population, Portland State University certified estimate, July 1, 2025 | 8,633 (+3.8% since 2020) |
| Households | 3,569 |
| Owner-occupied share of households | 52.9% |
| Median household income | $85,647 (margin of error about $14,700) |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $684,100 (margin of error about $42,800) |
| Median age | 38.2 (margin of error 1.8) |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 16.3% |
| Owner-occupied homes valued at $300,000 or more | 1,717 of 1,889 (90.9%) |
| Business establishments, ZIP 97031 | 971 |
| Paid employees at those establishments | 9,732 |
A plain reading
Hood River is small and expensive. The median home value is above $680,000, and more than nine in ten owner-occupied homes are valued at $300,000 or more. Slightly more than half of households own their home, so there is a large renter group too. The population is younger than in many Oregon towns, with about one resident in six aged 65 or older.
The income figure deserves care. Because the city has only about 3,500 households, the Census margin of error on median household income is roughly plus or minus $14,700, so the true figure could be noticeably higher or lower than $85,647. Treat every number here as an estimate.
The business count covers ZIP code 97031, which reaches beyond the city limit into the surrounding valley. It shows 971 establishments with paid employees. The Census marks the employee total as an estimate with some added noise.
How we got these numbers
- Households, tenure, income, home value, age and home-value brackets come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for 2020-2024, tables B01003, B11001, B25003, B19013, B25077, B01002, B01001 and B25075, read through Census Reporter. Dollars are 2024 inflation-adjusted ACS dollars. The city is Census place 4134900.
- The 2020 population of 8,313 is the Census count as reported by Wikipedia. The Census Bureau's own data service would not answer an anonymous request, so we did not pull it directly.
- The 2025 figure of 8,633 is the certified estimate from Portland State University's Population Research Center, as published in the League of Oregon Cities population list.
- Business counts are from Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 for ZIP code 97031. They are by ZIP code, not by city limit, and they leave out businesses with no paid employees.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year data (2020-2024)
- Census Reporter
- Census ZIP Code Business Patterns
- Portland State University Population Research Center
- League of Oregon Cities, 2026 population list (PSU certified estimates)
- Hood River, Oregon (Wikipedia), for history and the 2020 count
Also from Oregon Living: Oregon Living in The Dalles, Oregon.