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About Grants Pass
Grants Pass is the county seat of Josephine County. It sits on the Rogue River and Interstate 5, northwest of Medford, and was incorporated in 1887.
Grants Pass in numbers
| Measure | Grants Pass |
|---|---|
| Population, Census 2020 | 39,189 |
| Population, PSU certified estimate, July 1, 2025 | 40,380 |
| Change since 2020 | +3.0% |
| Households | 16,552 |
| Owner-occupied share of households | 57.0% |
| Median household income | $59,646 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $382,600 |
| Median age | 40.8 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 22.4% |
| Owner-occupied homes valued at $300,000 or more | 7,212 of 9,437 (76.4%) |
| Business establishments, ZIPs 97526 and 97527 | 1,860 |
A plain reading
Grants Pass is a homeowner town with a moderate income. Median household income is below the typical Rogue Valley city, while the median owner-occupied home is valued at $382,600. About three in four owner-occupied homes are valued at $300,000 or more. Population grew 3.0 percent from the 2020 Census to the 2025 estimate, but only 0.5 percent in the last year.
The county assessor sees more high-value homes than the survey does. Josephine County's free taxlot file lists 9,023 residential lots valued at $300,000 or more inside the city limits and 16,955 across the whole Grants Pass postal area, which includes rural homes around the city. The Home and neighborhoods page explains the difference.
The county reports 1,860 business establishments with paid employees in the two Grants Pass ZIP codes, with 21,415 paid employees in total. The largest sectors by establishment count are health care and social assistance (306), construction (273), retail (264) and lodging and food service (208).
How we got these numbers
- Households, tenure, income, home value, age and home-value brackets are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for 2020-2024 (tables B11001, B25003, B19013, B25077, B01002, B01001 and B25075), read through Census Reporter. Dollar figures are in 2024 dollars. They are survey estimates and carry a margin of error.
- Population is the 2020 Census count and the Portland State University Population Research Center certified estimate for July 1, 2025.
- Business counts are from Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023. They are by ZIP code, not by city limit, and leave out businesses with no paid employees.
- The assessor figures come from the Josephine County free GIS taxlot download (JoCo_Taxlots), counting residential improved lots with a real market value of at least $300,000.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year data (2020-2024)
- Census ZIP Code Business Patterns
- Portland State University Population Research Center
- Josephine County
- City of Grants Pass
- Grants Pass, Oregon (Wikipedia), for county-seat and incorporation facts
Also from Oregon Living: Oregon Living in Eagle Point, Oregon · Oregon Living in White City, Oregon · Oregon Living in Shady Cove, Oregon.