Multnomah County

County snapshot

Multnomah County has lost 2.5% of its population since 2020, with net migration of 951 in 2024. Shrinking counties are where tax liens go wrong: redemption rates fall, and the property you end up owning can be worth less than the taxes you paid on it.

By population, Multnomah County is the 1st largest of Oregon's 36 counties. It has grown more slowly than the state average (+1.1% across Oregon) — often where the less contested certificates are, and also where the risk sits. Of the 2024 change, 951 came from people moving in and 659 from births outnumbering deaths.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Census population estimates. Population figures are estimates, not a count.

Property & tax profile

The median homeowner in Multnomah County pays $5,301 a year in property tax — above the Oregon median of $3,876 (U.S.: $3,119). That is roughly what a typical home here owes for each year it goes unpaid — the debt that the opening bid at a deed sale is usually built from, plus interest and costs. Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $5,199; homes owned outright, $5,560.

On a home with a mortgage, the lender has its own reason to pay a delinquent tax bill: the tax lien outranks the mortgage, and a tax deed can wipe out the loan. On a home owned outright, nobody but the owner — or the heirs — has that reason. In Multnomah County, 28.4% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (Oregon: 35.5%, U.S.: 39.4%). That is less than the state as a whole: more of the delinquent bills here sit on mortgaged homes, where the lender often steps in.

5.8% of all housing units in Multnomah County are vacant. The figure that matters for a buyer at the tax sale is the Census “other vacant” category — not for rent, not for sale, not a holiday home, but a catch-all that includes foreclosures, homes held up by legal proceedings or family reasons, homes needing repairs, and abandoned ones. Here it is 1.6% of all units (Oregon: 2.0%, U.S.: 3.6%). Close to the state rate.

Half of the homes in Multnomah County were built in or before 1972 (Oregon: in or before 1981). The typical tax bill is 6.0% of the median household income of $88,766 (Oregon: 4.7%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25077, B25103, B25081, B25002, B25004, B25035, B19013) — see the figures on data.census.gov. Survey estimates with margins of error; anything too uncertain to state is left out.

Quick answers

• Oct 8, 2026

  Hamilton CountyIndianaTax lien certificateAlready held

  SRI Services

  Official source: hamiltoncounty.in.gov ↗checked Aug 14, 2026
• Oct 8, 2026

  Mora CountyNew MexicoTax deedAlready held

  State-run (in-person, 10am)

  The notice lists 43 parcels, but 30 were already marked removed in early October 2026; the 13 left had minimum bids from $200 to $7,500.

  Official source: tax.newmexico.gov ↗checked Oct 2, 2026
• Oct 13, 2026

  Marion CountyIndianaTax lien certificate

  GovEase (online, Oct 13–16, 9am–4pm)

  Registration closes Oct 7 at 3pm ET; $2,500 deposit for the regular portion. Non-profit portion runs first.

  Our write-upOfficial source: indy.gov ↗checked Oct 4, 2026
• Oct 14, 2026

  CromwellConnecticutRedeemable deed

  Cromwell Town Hall, 41 West Street (10am)

  Listed by the attorney who conducts the sale for the town (Pullman & Comley).

  Official source: cttaxsales.com ↗checked Oct 2, 2026