Prairie City, OR Demographics

Population 885 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Prairie City, OR map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Prairie City

Household size in Prairie City

Household size, people per household
PeriodPrairie CityOregonU.S.
2006–102.022.502.68
2010–142.352.552.73
2015–192.142.562.71
2020–241.862.502.65
Change−0.17+0.00−0.03
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Households in Prairie City are small: just 1.86 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.02, 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 Prairie City

Median age, years
PeriodPrairie CityOregonU.S.
2006–1051.039.037.7
2010–1452.040.038.6
2015–1949.840.939.6
2020–2453.741.640.1
Change+2.7+2.5+2.3
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Prairie City skews older: half of its residents are older than 53.7, 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 Prairie City

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodPrairie CityOregonU.S.
2006–109.2%10.5%12.3%
2010–146.9%10.8%12.3%
2015–195.3%9.9%11.6%
2020–244.6%10.4%11.6%
Change−4.6 pts−0.1 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 4.6% of households in Prairie City, 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 Prairie City

Renters in Prairie City

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodPrairie CityOregonU.S.
2006–1030.2%36.2%33.3%
2010–1428.8%38.5%35.6%
2015–1918.1%37.6%36.0%
2020–2413.9%36.7%34.8%
Change−16.2 pts+0.5 pts+1.5 pts
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Prairie City is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 13.9% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 70.5% have no mortgage at all, well above 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 Prairie City

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodPrairie CityOregonU.S.
2006–1030.5%8.9%11.4%
2010–1435.6%9.1%11.4%
2015–1935.0%8.3%11.1%
2020–2429.8%7.4%9.6%
Change−0.7 pts−1.5 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacancy is high in Prairie City: 29.8% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.

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 Prairie City

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodPrairie CityOregonU.S.
2006–10196219761974
2010–14197019771975
2015–19197219781977
2020–24197719811980
Change+15+5+6
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Homes in Prairie City are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1977, versus 1980 nationally.

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 Prairie City

Rent, per month
PeriodPrairie CityOregonU.S.
2006–10$541$870$965
2010–14$806$982$1,040
2015–19$687$1,183$1,213
2020–24$584$1,601$1,571
Change+$43+$731+$606
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The median renter in Prairie City pays $584 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 35.5% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.

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 Prairie City

Bachelor's degrees in Prairie City

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodPrairie CityOregonU.S.
2006–1012.8%29.0%28.4%
2010–1418.8%30.2%29.6%
2015–1921.5%33.5%32.1%
2020–2421.8%36.4%35.6%
Change+8.9 pts+7.3 pts+7.2 pts
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Fewer adults in Prairie City have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 21.8%, against 35.6% nationally.

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 Prairie City

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodPrairie CityOregonU.S.
2006–1092.3%88.5%84.9%
2010–1490.2%89.4%86.1%
2015–1992.7%90.5%87.7%
2020–2489.6%91.5%89.3%
Change−2.7 pts+3.0 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion in Prairie City is close to the national rate: 89.6% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. The rate is lower than in Oregon as a whole (91.5%).

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 Prairie City

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodPrairie CityOregonU.S.
2006–109.9%8.8%8.1%
2010–1421.8%10.6%9.4%
2015–195.3%5.6%5.6%
2020–246.8%5.3%5.4%
Change−3.1 pts−3.5 pts−2.7 pts
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Jobs have been harder to find in Prairie City than nationally: unemployment was 6.8%, against 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).

Prairie City compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Prairie City1.8653.74.6%13.9%29.8%1977$58421.8%89.6%6.8%
Austin Junction1.8357.23.7%13.3%33.5%1977$67419.3%90.9%7.4%
John Day2.0949.35.6%28.7%8.3%1965$84118.8%92.1%4.9%
Bates2.0547.13.9%15.0%42.6%1976$84218.2%84.5%6.1%
Canyon City2.0451.55.4%28.1%6.3%1961$81717.1%90.7%4.9%
Ritter1.9258.60.8%17.6%7.9%1971$79118.4%96.2%11.2%
Mount Vernon2.0752.51.9%20.3%9.9%1969$78118.4%94.0%8.3%
Unity1.7569.40.7%11.8%47.1%1974$1,02910.1%95.1%9.2%
Seneca2.5040.91.2%16.7%22.4%1966$67816.8%92.0%3.9%
Granite2.1840.94.2%16.2%47.3%1975$92417.9%80.8%5.3%
Long Creek1.8458.73.3%23.8%26.0%1970$73313.1%90.9%2.8%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Walker, WV · Cherry Creek, NY · Cheyenne, OK · Claverack, NY · Climax Springs, MO · Cloverdale, OR · Colman, SD · Comstock, WI · Concord, AR · Coulee City, WA

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 Prairie City. 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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