32,315 people (2024 Census estimate, +2.1% since 2020)
9,888 square miles of land · 3 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
8 active community water systems list Malheur County in the area they serve, reporting 20,151 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| ONTARIO, CITY OF surface water · local government · OR4100587 | 14,465 served |
| NYSSA, CITY OF groundwater · local government · OR4100579 | 3,285 served |
| VALE, CITY OF groundwater · local government · OR4100917 | 1,837 served |
| JORDAN VALLEY, CITY OF groundwater · local government · OR4100411 | 175 served |
| ADRIAN, CITY OF groundwater · local government · OR4100002 | 159 served |
| FISCHERS PLACE MHP groundwater · private · OR4101144 | 130 served |
| GOLF MHP groundwater · private · OR4100588 | 60 served |
| RIVER VILLAGE MHP groundwater · private · OR4105854 | 40 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 72 people were held in Malheur County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2023), or 365 per 100,000 residents ages 15–64. In 2018 it was about 75.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
10 school districts have their office in Malheur County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $45.3 million — $41.6 million to run schools, about $18,234 per student, plus $1.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7.2 million local (mostly property tax), $31.3 million state, $8.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $24.2 million.
Spent $24.5 million — $21.6 million to run schools, about $16,337 per student, plus $2.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.2 million local (mostly property tax), $17.7 million state, $5.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $5.8 million.
Spent $16.3 million — $14.5 million to run schools, about $15,278 per student, plus $1.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $3.5 million local (mostly property tax), $11.4 million state, $2.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $7.1 million.
Spent $6.9 million — $5.6 million to run schools, about $20,393 per student, plus $1.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $936,000 local (mostly property tax), $4.9 million state, $906,000 federal. Long-term debt: $4.5 million.
Spent $3.6 million — $3.3 million to run schools, about $15,110 per student, plus $325,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $390,000 local (mostly property tax), $4.3 million state, $430,000 federal.
Spent $2.5 million — $2.1 million to run schools, about $17,176 per student, plus $3,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $265,000 local (mostly property tax), $2.3 million state, $212,000 federal.
Spent $2.3 million — $2.1 million to run schools, about $34,565 per student, plus $152,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $595,000 local (mostly property tax), $1.8 million state, $120,000 federal.
Spent $523,000 — $492,000 to run schools, about $28,941 per student, plus $30,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $124,000 local (mostly property tax), $475,000 state, $44,000 federal.
And 2 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Very Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Malheur County about $10.5 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Relatively Moderate.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
181 bridges in Malheur County: 57 in good condition, 121 fair, and 3 poor (1.7%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| OR 52 (HWY 492) over Snake River · built 1953 | 4,512 vehicles a day |
| LITTLE VLY RD C6 over VALE MAIN CANAL · built 1978 | 140 vehicles a day |
| OWYHEE RIVER C1025 over OWYHEE RIVER (ROME) · built 1906 | 20 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $65 million of work in Malheur County in fiscal 2025, about $2,059 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
Registration deadlines, early voting and polling places for Oregon are on the federal site vote.gov, which links to the state's official election office.
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Malheur County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Malheur County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Oregon: the state government and every county in Oregon.
Nearby counties: Canyon County, ID (54 mi) · Harney County (70 mi) · Payette County, ID (71 mi) · Ada County, ID (71 mi) · Owyhee County, ID (83 mi) · Gem County, ID (85 mi).