Home /
About Bend
Bend is a Central Oregon city on the Deschutes River, east of the Cascade Range, and the county seat of Deschutes County. It was platted in 1904 and incorporated in 1905. Pioneers forded the river at a double bend, and the post office shortened the name "Farewell Bend" to "Bend." The city is in the high desert, and Wikipedia reports about 3,160 hours of sunshine a year and about 10.6 inches of precipitation.
Bend in numbers
| Measure | Bend |
|---|---|
| Population, 2020 Census | 99,178 |
| Population, ACS 2020-2024 | 103,390 |
| Population, Portland State University certified estimate, July 1, 2025 | 107,079 (+8.0% since 2020) |
| Households | 44,436 |
| Owner-occupied share of households | 61.7% |
| Median household income | $96,394 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $718,400 |
| Median age | 40.9 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 18.1% |
| Owner-occupied homes valued at $300,000 or more | 25,343 of 27,406 (92.5%) |
| Business establishments, ZIPs 97701, 97702 and 97703 | 6,040 |
| Paid employees at those establishments | 56,063 |
A plain reading
Bend is the largest city in this network and one of the fastest-growing: the Portland State University estimate is 8.0 percent above the 2020 Census count. Median household income is above $96,000 and the median home value is above $718,000. More than nine in ten owner-occupied homes are valued at $300,000 or more, and 12,578 of 27,406, nearly half, are valued at $750,000 or more. The population is younger than in most Oregon towns, with 18.1 percent aged 65 or older.
In 2023 the largest sectors by number of establishments were professional and technical services (917), construction (864), health care and social assistance (773) and retail (590).
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 2020 population is the Census count. The 2025 figure is the certified estimate from Portland State University's Population Research Center.
- Business counts are from Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 for ZIP codes 97701, 97702 and 97703. 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
- Bend, Oregon (Wikipedia), for history and climate
Also from Oregon Living: Oregon Living in Redmond, Oregon · Oregon Living in Sisters, Oregon · Oregon Living in La Pine, Oregon · Oregon Living in Prineville, Oregon · Oregon Living in Sunriver, Oregon.