County Rankings Show Rural Counties Keep Most In‑State Natives While Big Cities Have Fewer

The rankings map local-born population concentrations across counties, signaling differences in migration and population change.

Overview

Regional outlets KTVZ and KRDO republished Stacker’s county-by-county lists on August 7 using the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 five-year American Community Survey estimates.
Sherman County, Oregon tops the Oregon list with 63.3% of residents born in state and Conejos County, Colorado tops the Colorado list with 73.3% born in state.
Major urban counties show much lower shares of in-state-born residents, with Multnomah County at 40.5% born in Oregon and Denver at 36.9% born in Colorado.
The rankings report counts and percentages for residents born in the state, born in another state, born in U.S. territories, and born in another country and are a point-in-time snapshot of pooled 2020–2024 survey data.
Because the ACS five-year estimates are survey-based and small counties can show sampling variability, these lists should be read as descriptive snapshots that may reflect economic opportunity, education, housing and international migration rather than proven causes.