Prairie City, Oregon Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 615, Prairie City's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Prairie City is a small community located in Oregon, within Grant County. The total population is 615. It ranks as the 267th most populous out of 420 Census-designated places in Oregon.

Age Demographics

The median age in Prairie City is 49.9 years. This is 24% higher than the state median of 40.4 years. Only 15.0% of residents are under 18, indicating fewer families with children. 22.6% of residents are 75 or older, suggesting a significant retirement-age population with implications for healthcare services and senior housing.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Prairie City is $47,311. This is 43% lower than the state median of $83,011. It is also 41% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 17.3%. This is 45% higher than the state poverty rate of 11.9%. The unemployment rate is 5.1%. This is 4% lower than the state rate of 5.4%. The median home value is $205,900. Housing costs are 57% lower than the state median of $477,600. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.4x. 84.7% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 34% higher than the state average of 63.3%.

Race & Ethnicity

Prairie City has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 92.5% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 2.9%. The Hispanic or Latino population (2.9%) is well below the state average of 14.7%. The Asian population (0.5%) is well below the state average of 4.4%.

Education

22.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 39% lower than the state rate of 36.8%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 96.0%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Prairie City, Oregon is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against Oregon state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 420 Census-designated places in Oregon. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.