Ham radio operators in Oregon: new licenses by county
19,969 licensed amateur radio operators; 591 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.
At a glance · Data as of
- New hams · last 30 days
- 35
- New hams · last 12 months
- 591
- ▼ 5% vs prior 12 mo
- Active licensed hams
- 19,969
- Upgrades · 12 mo
- 279
- Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
- 186
- Address updates · 12 mo
- 214
- Often a move into the area
- Expiring · next 6 mo
- 1,165
About ham radio in Oregon
New licenses held steady in Oregon: 591 new hams in the past 12 months (down 5% from the year before). Oregon ranks #15 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Multnomah County leads the state with 96 new hams. Among larger counties, Washington County is growing fastest. Technicians make up 53% of the state’s licensees, above the U.S. average of 48%, a lot of newer operators who could use a mentor and a club to call home.
New hams by month
Show data table
| Month | New hams |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | 46 |
| Dec 2025 | 56 |
| Jan 2026 | 66 |
| Feb 2026 | 46 |
| Mar 2026 | 80 |
| Apr 2026 | 41 |
| May 2026 | 82 |
| Jun 2026 | 60 |
| Jul 2026 | 46 |
| Aug 2026 | 30 |
| Sep 2026 | 38 |
| Total | 593 |
License classes
| Class | Hams | Share | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician | 10,544 | 53% | 48% |
| General | 4,847 | 24% | 25% |
| Amateur Extra | 3,648 | 18% | 21% |
| Advanced | 555 | 3% | 3% |
| Novice / Other | 375 | 2% | 2% |
Bar = Oregon share · Tick = U.S. share
In the past 12 months, 126 operators upgraded to General and 135 to Amateur Extra.
How Oregon compares
#15 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months
| Per 1,000 active hams | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| New hams, past 12 months | 29.6 | 32.3 |
| Upgrades, past 12 months | 14.0 | 14.7 |
| Expiring, next 6 months | 58.3 | 57.3 |
591 new hams in Oregon this past year. Get next month’s list free.
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| # | County | New hams 12 mo | Change vs prior year | Active hams | New per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multnomah County | 96 | ▼ 14% | 2,948 | 32.6 |
| 2 | Washington County | 94 | ▲ 8% | 3,154 | 29.8 |
| 3 | Lane County | 64 | ▼ 4% | 1,721 | 37.2 |
| 4 | Clackamas County | 47 | ▼ 2% | 2,011 | 23.4 |
| 5 | Marion County | 33 | ▼ 30% | 1,259 | 26.2 |
| 6 | Deschutes County | 24 | ▼ 27% | 997 | 24.1 |
| 7 | Jackson County | 23 | ▼ 34% | 885 | 26.0 |
| 8 | Linn County | 21 | ▲ 50% | 569 | 36.9 |
| 9 | Benton County | 16 | ▼ 20% | 578 | 27.7 |
| 10 | Yamhill County | 16 | ▼ 48% | 647 | 24.7 |
All Oregon counties
24 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.
- Benton County16 new hams in 12 months
- Clackamas County47 new hams in 12 months
- Clatsop County9 new hams in 12 months
- Columbia County11 new hams in 12 months
- Coos County3 new hams in 12 months
- Crook County11 new hams in 12 months
- Curry County4 new hams in 12 months
- Deschutes County24 new hams in 12 months
- Douglas County5 new hams in 12 months
- Hood River County3 new hams in 12 months
- Jackson County23 new hams in 12 months
- Jefferson County2 new hams in 12 months
- Josephine County11 new hams in 12 months
- Klamath County7 new hams in 12 months
- Lane County64 new hams in 12 months
- Lincoln County2 new hams in 12 months
- Linn County21 new hams in 12 months
- Malheur County11 new hams in 12 months
- Marion County33 new hams in 12 months
- Multnomah County96 new hams in 12 months
- Polk County11 new hams in 12 months
- Umatilla County3 new hams in 12 months
- Washington County94 new hams in 12 months
- Yamhill County16 new hams in 12 months
Smaller Oregon counties
These 12 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.
| County | Active hams | New hams · 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Baker County | 57 | 0 |
| Gilliam County | 7 | 0 |
| Grant County | 67 | 0 |
| Harney County | 32 | 1 |
| Lake County | 34 | 1 |
| Morrow County | 27 | 0 |
| Sherman County | 9 | 0 |
| Tillamook County | 254 | 2 |
| Union County | 101 | 3 |
| Wallowa County | 62 | 0 |
| Wasco County | 118 | 2 |
| Wheeler County | 35 | 0 |
Neighboring states
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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).
Questions about hams in Oregon
How many ham radio operators are in Oregon?
19,969 active amateur radio licensees are on file for Oregon as of Oct 1, 2026.
How many new hams were licensed in Oregon last year?
591 people in Oregon received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 1, 2026.
Which Oregon counties have the most new hams?
In the past 12 months: Multnomah County (96), Washington County (94) and Lane County (64).
Where does this data come from?
From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.
Can I see the names or call signs on this page?
No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.
About this data
Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.
How we count
- New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
- Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
- Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
- Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
- PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.
99% of Oregon licensees could be matched to a county.