When it comes to income, education and poverty, communities in Clackamas County are remarkably diverse.
While the median income for all households in the county hovers around $63,790, Happy Valley registers at more than $100,000, according to five-year data from the U.S. Census Bureau. On the other hand, Estacada posted a median household income of $37,560 over the same period.
Happy Valley also has one of the highest percentages of residents above 25 years old with at least a bachelor’s degree, about 51 percent. West Linn and Lake Oswego registered even higher numbers, at 56 and 66 percent.
At the county level, people with bachelor’s degrees make up 31.6 percent of the population. Such residents make up less than 20 percent of Estacada and Sandy.
Data on the number of people living below the poverty line follow a similar trend. The communities of Happy Valley, West Linn, Damascus, Lake Oswego and Sandy all posted single-digit poverty percentages. The county has about a 10 percent poverty rate, and Estacada has more than 20 percent.
The American Community Survey data cover the years from 2007-11 and provide the most accurate look at small communities in the country, including those with 20,000 people or fewer. The data were released in December 2012. Because of the period sampled, the data also provide a snapshot of the recession years.