Population 100 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Fernwood
Household size in Fernwood
| Period | Fernwood | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.79 | 2.57 | 2.50 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.76 | 2.63 | 2.55 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.56 | 2.63 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.50 | 2.51 | 2.50 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.29 | −0.06 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
The average household in Fernwood has 2.50 people, a bit under the U.S. average of 2.65. That is in line with the rest of the Portland area. Household size has dropped from 2.79 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Fernwood
| Period | Fernwood | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 43.0 | 37.3 | 39.0 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 47.7 | 38.3 | 40.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 48.9 | 39.3 | 40.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 48.7 | 41.0 | 41.6 | 40.1 |
| Change | +5.6 | +3.7 | +2.5 | +2.3 |
Fernwood skews older: half of its residents are older than 48.7, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Fernwood
| Period | Fernwood | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.0% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 12.1% | 10.3% | 10.8% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.1% | 9.4% | 9.9% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.1% | 9.5% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −2.0 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.1 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 4.1% of households in Fernwood, well below the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Fernwood
Renters in Fernwood
| Period | Fernwood | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 26.6% | 36.6% | 36.2% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 16.6% | 39.1% | 38.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 5.7% | 37.6% | 37.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 20.2% | 38.3% | 36.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | −6.4 pts | +1.7 pts | +0.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 20.2% of households in Fernwood rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Just over three in ten owners (31.5%) have paid off their mortgages, below the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Fernwood
| Period | Fernwood | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.5% | 7.4% | 8.9% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.5% | 6.8% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.4% | 6.1% | 8.3% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 4.4% | 7.1% | 7.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.2 pts | −0.3 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Empty homes are scarce in Fernwood: just 4.4% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Fernwood
| Period | Fernwood | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1976 | 1977 | 1976 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1977 | 1978 | 1977 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1981 | 1980 | 1978 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1983 | 1981 | 1981 | 1980 |
| Change | +7 | +4 | +5 | +6 |
The typical home in Fernwood was built around 1983, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980).
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Fernwood
| Period | Fernwood | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,172 | $961 | $870 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,688 | $1,105 | $982 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,036 | $1,374 | $1,183 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,563 | $1,794 | $1,601 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$390 | +$833 | +$731 | +$606 |
The median renter in Fernwood pays $1,563 a month for rent and utilities, close to the national median of $1,571. Rents here are lower than in the Portland area as a whole ($1,794). Rent takes 22.6% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Fernwood
Bachelor's degrees in Fernwood
| Period | Fernwood | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.2% | 33.3% | 29.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 14.1% | 34.5% | 30.2% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 15.1% | 39.2% | 33.5% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 21.1% | 42.6% | 36.4% | 35.6% |
| Change | +9.9 pts | +9.3 pts | +7.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Fernwood: 21.1% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Fernwood
| Period | Fernwood | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 88.3% | 90.0% | 88.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 91.5% | 90.6% | 89.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 96.9% | 91.9% | 90.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 89.4% | 93.2% | 91.5% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.1 pts | +3.2 pts | +3.0 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in Fernwood have finished high school as nationally: 89.4%, against 89.3%. The rate is lower than in the wider Portland area (93.2%).
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Fernwood
| Period | Fernwood | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.4% | 8.6% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 13.9% | 9.6% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.5% | 4.7% | 5.6% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.9% | 4.6% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −4.5 pts | −4.0 pts | −3.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Fernwood runs below the national rate: 3.9% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Fernwood compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernwood | 2.50 | 48.7 | 4.1% | 20.2% | 4.4% | 1983 | $1,563 | 21.1% | 89.4% | 3.9% |
| Dickey Prairie | 2.20 | 51.5 | 3.9% | 18.9% | 4.9% | 1979 | $1,572 | 25.7% | 90.4% | 5.1% |
| Old Colton | 2.65 | 42.3 | 4.2% | 14.7% | 6.0% | 1979 | $932 | 18.3% | 86.8% | 0.9% |
| Colton | 3.01 | 43.5 | 6.7% | 8.8% | 5.9% | 1988 | $1,335 | 20.6% | 90.7% | 1.8% |
| Molalla | 2.74 | 37.1 | 8.2% | 34.1% | 6.6% | 1987 | $1,669 | 18.2% | 87.1% | 3.1% |
| Shady Dell | 2.91 | 31.4 | 11.7% | 73.3% | 10.4% | 1975 | $1,863 | 10.8% | 92.5% | 0.3% |
| Marion | 3.20 | 38.5 | 4.8% | 30.0% | 4.0% | 1992 | $1,530 | 10.9% | 88.9% | 2.8% |
| Mulino | 3.16 | 46.1 | 11.7% | 7.7% | 1.6% | 1978 | $1,528 | 22.7% | 96.3% | 3.0% |
| Hamricks Corner | 2.91 | 50.0 | 6.2% | 22.7% | 9.6% | 1973 | $1,679 | 20.2% | 84.7% | 0.0% |
| Dodge | 2.46 | 48.5 | 4.1% | 8.4% | 4.7% | 1978 | $796 | 21.0% | 91.7% | 9.4% |
| Oaklawn | 3.23 | 45.4 | 2.2% | 28.8% | 12.7% | 1975 | $1,413 | 26.8% | 89.4% | 0.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Perma, MT · Pikes Peak, IN · Pickwick, MS · Philip Junction, SD · Phelps, IL · Peru, OH · Pershing, MO · Perryville, NY · Perry City, NY · Pine Flats, PA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Fernwood. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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