Grants Pass is the county seat of Josephine County, Oregon. It is situated northwest of Medford on the Rogue River. In the 1820s, Hudson's Bay Company trappers and hunters passed through this area, and the Applegate Trail led settlers to the Willamette Valley. The city was named after General Ulysses S. Grant, and it was incorporated in 1887.
In the 2010 census, the city's population was 19,061. The median age was 39.3 years, and 31.1% of the population was under the age of 18. Twenty-four percent of households were married couples, and one-fourth of households were made up of singles. Another 17.3% of the population was over the age of 65. Males outnumbered females in the city by 86.8 to 1 (males overfemale ratio), and the median household size was 2.36.
The median age of all people living in Grants Pass was 39.7 years old in 2020, with foreign-born residents being 58 years old. The median age for native-born residents of Grants Pass was 39.7 years old in 2019. While most people in Grants Pass were born in the city, some lived there before the American Revolution. In the early nineteenth century, the area was known as a "sundown town," as the majority of people in the city were considered non-white. As a result, the town experienced a racial segregation during this time.
Grants Pass's economy employs sixteen thousand people. Its top industries include Health Care & Social Assistance, Retail Trade, and Accommodation & Food Services. However, the highest paying industries are Transportation & Utilities, and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services. As of 2019, the median household income in Grants Pass, OR is $46,580. This is lower than the median income in the U.S., but higher than the national average.