For the first time in recorded history, deaths outnumbered births in Oregon.
For years, Oregon’s been averaging about 1,500 more births a year, than deaths. But since the great recession in 2008, that average has gradually been dropping.
Josh Lehner, with the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, said COVID-related deaths last year finally pushed the number into negative territory — not by a lot — but about 200 more Oregonians died last year than were born.