Lincoln County Profile

A Quick Snapshot of Lincoln County’s Key Features

A Historic and Thriving Region Along Oregon’s Central Coast.

Lincoln County was created by the Legislative Assembly Feb. 20, 1893, from the western portion of Benton County and Polk County. The county was named for President Abraham Lincoln. The 1900 census measured Lincoln County’s population at 3,575. The northern part of Lincoln County includes the Siletz Indian Reservation which was created by treaty in 1855. The Coast Highway (101) was completed in 1925, and the Salmon River Highway completed in 1930. In 1936 bridges were constructed across the bays at Waldport, Newport, and Siletz thus eliminating the ferries that had formerly traversed these bays. A 1910 election created the ports of Toledo, Newport, and Alsea.

Governmental Units

Lincoln County

Depoe Bay (population 1,526)

Lincoln City (population 9,996)

Newport (population 10,412)

Siletz (population 1,230)

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (population 5,610)

Toledo (population 3,541)

Waldport (population 2,266)

Yachats (population 1,013)

Lincoln County Board of Commissioners:

Commissioner Casey Miller, Chair

Commissioner Kaety Jacobson

Commissioner Claire Hall

Demographics

Population: 50,334

Population Change Since 2010: 9.8%

Median age: 52.4

Percent 65 years and older: 30.5%

Veteran Population: 6,191

Total Housing Units: 32,094

Median household income: $57,794

Median household value: $345,300

Median Gross Rent: $1,057/month

Owner-occupied housing unit rate: 70.7%

Personal Income:

Labor Earnings: 46.4%

Non-Labor Earnings: 53.6%

-Dividends, Interest, and Rent: 21.4%

-Age-Related Transfer Payments: 20.6%

-Hardship-Related Payments: 7.5%

-Other Transfer Payments: 4.0%

Labor Force

Labor force: 21,812

Average Employment: 20,107

Educational Attainment:

High school higher: 92.8%

Bachelor’s or higher: 28.9%

Mean travel-time: 21.2 minutes

County unemployment rate: 4.5%

Statewide rate: 4.0%

National unemployment rate: 4.2%

(Note: unemployment based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for Aug. 2024)

Average Earnings per Job: $57,478

Per Capita Income: $55,687

GDP (2022): $2,399,184,000

(Demographic, Labor Force, and Business Data sourced from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Office (2022))

Business

Employer establishments: 1,579

Percent women-owned firms: 19%

Percent minority-owned firms: 7.4%

Percent veteran-owned firms: 9%

Top 3 Industries by Employment:

  1. Accommodation and Food Service: 4,769 (17.88%)
  2. Government: 3,758 (14.09%)
  3. Retail Trade: 3,522 (13.21%)

Top 3 Industries by Wages:

  1. Federal Government: $87,164
  2. State Government: $70,270
  3. Manufacturing: $70,031

Largest tax payers in the County

Major Employers in Lincoln County 2024

Large Enterprise Zone

No sales tax!

Blue Economy

Commercial Ports:

Newport

Toledo

Home of the NOAA Pacific fleet

Hatfield Marine Science Center

Oregon Coast Aquarium

Three of the five marine reserves are in Lincoln County, including Cascade Head, a UNECSO biosphere reserve.

Dungeness Crab Capitol of the World!

Education

Lincoln County School District:

15 schools

5,058 students  |  900 employees

International Baccalaureate diploma program, culinary arts program, Coastal Drone Academy

Oregon Coast Community College:

Accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Less than 50 miles from Oregon State University

Geography

992 square miles

Population per square mile: 51

60 miles of Pacific coast

Bordered by the Coast Range

Siuslaw National Forest
(630,000 acres)

The Drift Creek Wilderness
(5,798 acres)

Highest point: 3,401 ft.

Lincoln County has five major rivers that run into the Pacific Ocean: the Alsea, Salmon, Siletz, Yachats, and Yaquina.

35% of the county’s total land is publicly owned

Weather

Summer High: around 70 degrees

Winter Low: around 39 degrees

Rain: 80 inches of rain a year

Snow: less than an inch a year

On average, there are 156 sunny days per year in Lincoln County.

174 days with some form of precipitation

The climate of Lincoln County is greatly influenced by the prevailing westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean. Characteristic features are moderate temperatures, a long frost-free season, and abundant rainfall.

Outdoor Recreation

Oregon Coast Trail

Close to Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine appellation

36 state parks and recreation areas

Dozens of campgrounds, from glamping to rustic

Kayaking & surfing

Hiking & biking

Fishing, clamming & crabbing

Whale-watching

Explore countless tide pools

Fly a kite on the beach

Major Highways

U.S. Highway 101
(North-South, 25,000 AADT)

U.S. Highway 20
(East-West, 12,500 AADT)

Salmon River Highway (18)
(East-West, 11,500 AADT)

Alsea Highway (34)
(East-West, 2,500 AADT)

Travel Times

Corvallis: 58 min

Eugene: 1h 43min

Portland: 2h 14min

Salem: 1h 34min

San Francisco, CA: 9h 42min

Seattle, WA: 5h

Air Travel

Eugene Airport

Portland International (PDX)

Newport Municipal Airport

Siletz Bay State Airport