Oregon county lost $1 billion in 2020 as residents fled crime, homelessness: 'It's like Portland died'

Portland lost 6th-most residents in United States over past year

Andrew Mark Miller | Fox News

 

Multnomah County, where Portland, Oregon, is located, reportedly lost more than $1 billion in income between 2020 and 2021 as a result of residents fleeing the state amid surging crime, homelessness and safety concerns.

Data analysis conducted by Oregon Live showed that 14,257 tax filers and their dependents left Multnomah County during the first year of the pandemic in 2020 and took a record $1 billion of income with them.

The data showed that higher earners were more likely to leave since their jobs could be done remotely during coronavirus shutdowns, and the average income of people leaving was 14% higher than people who left the year before. 

Before 2020, Portland had experienced 15 consecutive years of growth, Fox 12 Oregon reported.

The 2020 exodus came at the same time that crime in Portland began spiking and the city broke its homicide record in 2021 and then again in 2022. Read more and see video here.