STD Rates in Oregon
CDC surveillance data for Oregon covering chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV — with 15-year trends and national comparisons.
Oregon sits near the lower end of the national STD burden — 41st out of 50 states in 2023, with a combined rate of 498.9 cases per 100,000 people. That puts it well below the national median. But the direction things have moved over the past 15 years is harder to dismiss than the current ranking suggests.
Chlamydia is Oregon's most common STD by volume — 15,344 cases in 2023, at a rate of 362.5 per 100,000. That's 23% below the national median of 471.3, and the rate has actually drifted slightly downward for three straight years after peaking near 460 in 2018. The long-run picture is different: chlamydia rates are up 27.6% since 2008, driven mostly by steady annual increases through the 2010s. What's happening now looks more like a plateau than a reversal.
Gonorrhea tells a sharper story. The rate was 30.3 per 100,000 in 2000. By 2023, it was 117.2 — a 262% increase over the long run. It peaked in 2020 at 151.3, briefly crossed the national median, then pulled back. Today it sits below the median of 152.2, and it dropped another 9.6% in 2023 alone. Syphilis is where the numbers get hardest to contextualize: a rate of 0.7 in 2008 became 26.3 in 2022 — a rise of more than 2,600%. It dropped to 19.2 in 2023, a 27% single-year decline, but that follows years of near-uninterrupted growth. Oregon's syphilis rate is now above the national median of 14.8.
Oregon's HIV data runs through 2022. New diagnoses reached 250 that year — a rate of 6.8 per 100,000 — the highest in the six-year window tracked here. The 2020 dip to 180 cases almost certainly reflects pandemic-era disruptions to testing access rather than a real reduction in transmission. If you're in Portland, Salem, or Eugene and haven't been tested recently, STDTest.com can show you where to go.
STD Trends in Oregon
Oregon's chlamydia rate has been declining slowly since 2018, settling at 362.5 per 100,000 in 2023 — about 23% below the national median of 471.3. The recent trend looks like a plateau rather than a genuine drop: the rate has barely moved over the past three years. The longer arc still shows a 27.6% increase since 2008, meaning the current lull comes after decades of consistent growth.
Oregon's gonorrhea rate has climbed 262% since 2008 — from 32.4 to 117.2 per 100,000 — one of the sharper long-run increases in the state's STD profile. The rate peaked in 2020, briefly touching the national median of 152.2, then began pulling back. The 9.6% drop in 2023 continues that retreat, and Oregon now sits meaningfully below the median, though still nearly four times higher than it was 15 years ago.
Oregon's syphilis rate rose from 0.7 per 100,000 in 2008 to a peak of 26.3 in 2022 — an increase of more than 2,600% over that span. The 2023 rate of 19.2 represents a 27% single-year drop, the first meaningful decline after years of near-continuous growth. That rate still sits above the national median of 14.8, meaning Oregon is no longer a low-syphilis state by national standards.
Oregon's HIV data covers 2017 through 2022, with 250 new diagnoses recorded in 2022 at a rate of 6.8 per 100,000 — the highest point in that window. The 2020 figure of 180 cases likely reflects reduced testing access during the pandemic rather than a real decline in transmission. Since 2020, diagnoses have climbed back up steadily.
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Oregon vs National Average
Comparing 2023 rates against the U.S. median across all 50 states.
| Infection | Oregon | US Median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 362.5 | 471.3 | 23.1% below |
| Gonorrhea | 117.2 | 152.2 | 23% below |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 19.2 | 14.8 | 29.7% above |
STD Rates by County
County-level data from CDC surveillance. Ranked by combined rate per 100,000.
| County | State Rank | Combined | Chlamydia | Gonorrhea | Syphilis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multnomah County | #1 of 36 | 932.1 | 598.6 | 302.5 | 31.0 |
| Malheur County | #2 of 36 | 655.3 | 518.0 | 127.9 | 9.4 |
| Jefferson County | #3 of 36 | 636.4 | 573.6 | 43.2 | 19.6 |
| Marion County | #4 of 36 | 577.7 | 472.7 | 79.3 | 25.7 |
| Morrow County | #5 of 36 | 536.6 | 414.6 | 105.7 | 16.3 |
| Lane County | #6 of 36 | 517.6 | 358.4 | 130.1 | 29.1 |
| Umatilla County | #7 of 36 | 498.4 | 391.0 | 97.4 | 10.0 |
| Washington County | #8 of 36 | 448.4 | 348.2 | 90.5 | 9.7 |
| Benton County | #9 of 36 | 427.8 | 357.2 | 67.5 | 3.1 |
| Union County | #9 of 36 | 427.8 | 373.9 | 38.5 | 15.4 |
| Klamath County | #11 of 36 | 409.9 | 302.8 | 97.1 | 10.0 |
| Columbia County | #12 of 36 | 369.3 | 291.4 | 53.8 | 24.1 |
| Wasco County | #13 of 36 | 368.4 | 269.6 | 76.0 | 22.8 |
| Hood River County | #14 of 36 | 366.4 | 315.9 | 37.9 | 12.6 |
| Jackson County | #15 of 36 | 364.6 | 280.8 | 75.2 | 8.6 |
| Yamhill County | #16 of 36 | 349.8 | 290.9 | 53.4 | 5.5 |
| Clackamas County | #17 of 36 | 343.6 | 248.1 | 77.3 | 18.2 |
| Polk County | #18 of 36 | 325.2 | 272.8 | 37.9 | 14.5 |
| Linn County | #19 of 36 | 314.1 | 243.4 | 57.0 | 13.7 |
| Josephine County | #20 of 36 | 301.7 | 227.7 | 68.3 | 5.7 |
| Deschutes County | #21 of 36 | 270.9 | 222.5 | 35.0 | 13.4 |
| Coos County | #22 of 36 | 267.9 | 160.4 | 32.7 | 74.8 |
| Clatsop County | #23 of 36 | 267.6 | 216.5 | 46.2 | 4.9 |
| Baker County | #24 of 36 | 248.4 | 177.4 | 41.4 | 29.6 |
| Douglas County | #25 of 36 | 226.7 | 189.4 | 24.0 | 13.3 |
| Harney County | #26 of 36 | 215.0 | 188.2 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| Lincoln County | #27 of 36 | 214.5 | 159.4 | 41.3 | 13.8 |
| Crook County | #28 of 36 | 211.4 | 155.8 | 44.5 | 11.1 |
| Tillamook County | #29 of 36 | 207.9 | 189.7 | 10.9 | 7.3 |
| Lake County | #30 of 36 | 192.9 | 132.6 | 36.2 | 24.1 |
| Wallowa County | #31 of 36 | 143.4 | 117.3 | 26.1 | 0.0 |
| Wheeler County | #32 of 36 | 139.3 | 139.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Grant County | #33 of 36 | 111.0 | 83.2 | 13.9 | 13.9 |
| Curry County | #34 of 36 | 98.8 | 85.9 | 4.3 | 8.6 |
| Gilliam County | #35 of 36 | 98.7 | 98.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Sherman County | #36 of 36 | 51.3 | 51.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
What the numbers mean — and what to do about them
Oregon's combined STD rate of 498.9 per 100,000 puts it about 22% below the national median — which sounds reassuring until you convert it to people. In 2023, more than 21,000 Oregonians were diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis. That's diagnoses only. Cases that were never tested for never get counted.
The trend that matters most clinically is syphilis. A rate that sat near zero for most of the 2000s has climbed above the national median, and syphilis is particularly dangerous because it's easily missed — early symptoms are mild or absent, and the infection can go undetected for years while still being transmissible. Gonorrhea carries a similar asymptomatic risk, and Oregon's rate, while declining, is still more than three times what it was in the early 2000s. Infections that don't announce themselves don't get treated, and untreated STDs drive the kind of long-run case growth Oregon's data reflects.
If you live in Portland, Salem, or Eugene — or anywhere in Oregon — and haven't been tested in the past year, the case for doing so is straightforward. Oregon's gonorrhea rate has risen more than 260% since 2008, and its syphilis rate has crossed above the national median after years of near-zero prevalence. Most people who have an STD don't know it. STDTest.com can show you exactly where to get tested in Oregon today.
WHO SHOULD GET TESTED
Any sexually active adult in Oregon, but especially those in or near Portland, Salem, or Eugene, where case volumes are highest. Given Oregon's above-median syphilis rate and the long-run rise in gonorrhea, people with new or multiple partners are at elevated risk — even without symptoms.
HOW OFTEN
Once a year is a reasonable floor for sexually active adults. Oregon's syphilis rate has climbed steadily for over a decade and only recently began declining — suggesting transmission has been widespread and often undetected. Every three to six months is appropriate if you have multiple partners or inconsistent condom use.
WHAT TO EXPECT
A standard STD panel typically involves a urine sample, a blood draw, or a swab — often a combination. Most results come back within a few days. Many clinics in Oregon offer confidential or anonymous testing, and the process is faster than most people expect.
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