County Maps US

Wheeler County, Oregon

The least populous of Oregon's 36 counties.

CountyFIPS 41069

Within Oregon
Wheeler County, highlighted, with the areas around it. Boundaries generalised from the 2025 Census cartographic boundary file; neighbour fills carry no data. The dot marks Fossil, the county seat, located via the 2025 Census Gazetteer.

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Population
1,472
+12 (+0.8%) since 2020
Land area
1,716
square miles. A further 0.0% of the total area is water
Population density
0.86
people per square mile, computed rather than published
County seat
Fossil
Seat of county government.
Established
1899
126 years ago
Largest city
Fossil city
Population 456.

Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

Satellite view

Aerial imagery of Wheeler County with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.

Aerial view of Wheeler County, Oregon from the USGS National Map, with its boundary outlined
Imagery: USGS National Map, USGS Imagery Only, public domain, requested from USGS by your browser when you reach this point on the page, at 648 by 800 pixels. The boundary is the 2025 Census cartographic boundary file, reprojected to Web Mercator to match the imagery. You can also open the USGS National Map viewer.

Where Wheeler County ranks

Position among the 36 counties of Oregon, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.

MeasureValueIn OregonNationally
Population1,47236th of 363,081st of 3,144
Land area1,716 sq mi20th of 36348th of 3,144
Population density0.86 per sq mi35th of 363,090th of 3,144
Median household income$55,28434th of 362,457th of 3,143

Full data for Wheeler County

Every figure below is attributed to the Census Bureau product it came from, with the vintage of that product.
MeasureValueSource and vintage
Population1,472Vintage 2025 Population Estimates
Population in 20201,460Vintage 2025 Population Estimates
2020 estimates base?1,449Vintage 2025 Population Estimates
Land area1,716 sq mi2025 Gazetteer Files
Water area0.48 sq mi2025 Gazetteer Files
Total area1,717 sq mi2025 Gazetteer Files
Population density?0.86 per sq miComputed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area
Median household income$55,284American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median home value$272,400American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median age59.3American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Households703American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Housing units908American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

How the population changed

The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:

Births minus deaths
-10
17 births, 27 deaths
Net migration
+29
More people moved in than moved out.

Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

The 6 areas bordering Wheeler County

Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.

Bordering areaStateShared borderPopulation
Crook CountyOregon54 mi27,564
Grant CountyOregon49 mi7,075
Gilliam CountyOregon35 mi1,971
Wasco CountyOregon26 mi26,310
Jefferson CountyOregon21 mi25,740
Morrow CountyOregon11 mi12,602

Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.

All 36 counties of Oregon

Open the interactive Oregon county map, or jump straight to any of them.

Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.