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US Kidney Statistics

Kidney Disease Statistics in Oregon, USA

Oregon faces a growing public health burden from kidney disease in all its forms. More than 7,265 Oregonians currently live with kidney failure — a permanent, life-threatening condition requiring either dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive — and approximately 1,133 new cases are diagnosed every year. The total number of Oregonians affected has grown by more than 22% since 2013, driven primarily by the rising prevalence of diabetes and high blood pressure across the state’s population.

This article compiles data from multiple sources to offer a comprehensive picture of kidney disease in Oregon — spanning kidney failure prevalence, transplant center performance, patient financial burden, kidney cancer trends, and comparisons with national benchmarks.

Several overarching themes emerge from the data. Oregon’s kidney transplant waiting list has grown faster than transplant capacity, leaving a shrinking proportion of patients able to access the treatment associated with the best outcomes. Financial hardship is widespread among dialysis patients, who are largely unable to work and often dependent on charitable assistance. And while Oregon performs better than the national average on kidney disease mortality, county-level data reveals persistent disparities — particularly in rural areas where late-stage cancer diagnoses and higher death rates suggest gaps in early detection and access to care.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Oregon

Chronic kidney disease is the gradual loss of kidney function over time and, when left untreated, often progresses to kidney failure. The data below reflects CKD prevalence and its mortality burden in Oregon.

Adults who report a CKD diagnosis: 4.4%
Oregon’s national CKD prevalence ranking: 35th
Oregon’s national CKD prevalence ranking: 7.4 per 100,000
Oregon Medicare patients diagnosed with CKD (2016): 1,527

CKD affects 4.4% of Oregon adults — a proportion that places the state 35th nationally, indicating a moderate burden relative to other states. The age-adjusted kidney disease death rate of 7.4 per 100,000 reflects outcomes at the chronic stage, before progression to full kidney failure.

Kidney Failure in Oregon

Population Living with Kidney Failure

Kidney failure (end-stage renal disease, ESRD) is a permanent, life-threatening condition requiring either dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive. The following table tracks the total number of Oregonians living with kidney failure across multiple annual reports, along with the breakdown between dialysis patients and transplant recipients.

Report Year	Total Living with Kidney Failure	On Dialysis	Living with Transplant
2021	7,157	4,836	2,321
2022	7,353	4,943	2,410
2024	7,395	4,854	2,541
2025	7,197	4,587	2,610
2026	7,265	4,556	2,709

Kidney failure consistently affects more than 7,000 Oregonians. Dialysis accounts for roughly two-thirds of all treatment at any given time.

New Annual Diagnoses

Each year, more than 1,000 Oregonians are newly diagnosed with kidney failure. The table below shows the year of diagnosis, total new cases, and the treatment pathway immediately initiated.

Year of Diagnosis	New Cases	Received Transplant	Began Dialysis
2018	1,171	24	1,147
2019	1,149	34	1,115
2021	1,105	41	1,064
2022	1,018	32	986
2023	1,133	36	1,097

Of all newly diagnosed patients, only 2–4% receive a kidney transplant at the time of diagnosis. The remaining 96–98% begin dialysis.

Causes and Risk Factors

Leading Causes

Diabetes and high blood pressure together account for the vast majority of kidney failure in Oregon. Their relative contributions have been tracked across multiple report years.

Report Year	Caused by Diabetes	Caused by High Blood Pressure	Combined Share
2022	47%	28%	75%
2024	44%	29%	73%
2025	44%	29%	73%
2026	43%	30%	73%

Diabetes and high blood pressure together cause roughly 73–75% of all kidney failure in Oregon. The share attributed to diabetes has gradually declined from 47% to 43%, while the proportion attributed to high blood pressure has slightly increased from 28% to 30%.

Population Risk Factors

The following population-level risk factors contribute directly to the leading causes of kidney failure in Oregon.

Have high blood pressure: 30.6%
Self-report as obese: 29.0%
Diagnosed with diabetes: 8.6%

With nearly 1 in 3 Oregon adults having high blood pressure and approximately 1 in 12 diagnosed with diabetes — the two leading causes of kidney failure — the at-risk population is large.

Kidney Cancer in Oregon

Statewide Incidence and Burden (2018–2022)

Kidney cancer is the 9th most common cancer in Oregon by incidence. On average, 703 Oregonians are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year.

Key Kidney Cancer Metrics

Age-adjusted incidence rate: 16.0 per 100,000
Age-adjusted mortality rate: 3.8 per 100,000
Average annual new cases (Oregon): 703
Average annual new cases (United States): 56,558
Oregon cancer priority score: 1.52 (ranked 10th of 14 cancer sites)

Oregon vs. U.S.: Kidney & Renal Pelvis Cancer

Category	Oregon Rate (per 100,000)	U.S. Rate (per 100,000)
Incidence	16.0	17.5
Mortality	3.8	—

Top Cancers in Oregon by Incidence

Rank	Cancer Site	Incidence (per 100,000)	Mortality (per 100,000)
1	Breast	131.3	19.0
2	Prostate	101.8	20.6
3	Lung and Bronchus	46.5	31.1
4	Colorectal	32.0	12.1
5	Uterine	29.3	5.0
6	Melanoma	24.1	2.3
7	Bladder	19.2	4.6
8	Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma	17.7	5.5
9	Kidney	16.0	3.8
10	Leukemia	13.2	6.1
11	Pancreas	12.9	11.3
12	Ovary	9.4	6.6
13	Liver	8.7	7.0

Cancer Site Priority Scoring

Rank	Cancer Type	Priority Score
1	Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct	2.46
2	Colon and Rectum	2.01
3	Breast	1.92
4	Lung and Bronchus	1.87
5	Pancreas	1.77
6	Prostate	1.72
7	Corpus and Uterus, NOS	1.70
8	Leukemia	1.62
9	Melanoma of the Skin	1.60
10	Kidney and Renal Pelvis	1.52
11	Urinary Bladder	1.49
12	Ovary	1.46
13	Brain and Other Nervous System	1.36
14	Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma	1.15

Oregon’s kidney cancer incidence rate (16.0) is modestly below the national average (17.5). With approximately 703 new diagnoses per year, kidney cancer represents a significant cancer burden and ranks 9th among all cancer sites in Oregon by incidence.

Late-Stage Kidney Cancer Incidence by County (2018–2022)

Late-stage diagnosis severely limits treatment options and reduces survival. The table below shows age-adjusted late-stage kidney and renal pelvis cancer incidence rates and the percentage of cases diagnosed at late stage, sorted by average annual case count.

County	Rural/Urban	Late-Stage Rate (per 100,000)	95% CI	Avg Annual Cases	% Late Stage
Oregon	—	4.6	(4.4, 4.9)	255	29.3%
United States	—	5.0	(5.0, 5.0)	20,556	29.1%
Benton	Urban	3.4	(1.9, 5.6)	3	21.8%
Columbia	Urban	4.6	(2.7, 7.6)	4	25.7%
Clatsop	Rural	6.6	(3.8, 10.9)	4	36.5%
Polk	Urban	3.9	(2.3, 6.1)	4	21.9%
Lincoln	Rural	4.6	(2.7, 7.6)	4	33.3%
Umatilla	Rural	5.9	(3.9, 8.7)	6	36.4%
Klamath	Rural	5.8	(3.8, 8.6)	6	35.7%
Coos	Rural	6.2	(4.0, 9.2)	6	28.3%
Yamhill	Urban	4.5	(3.1, 6.4)	7	27.0%
Douglas	Rural	4.0	(2.8, 5.6)	8	28.6%
Deschutes	Urban	3.4	(2.5, 4.7)	9	25.1%
Linn	Urban	5.4	(3.9, 7.3)	9	30.4%
Josephine	Urban	8.2	(6.1, 10.8)	13	41.7%
Jackson	Urban	5.0	(3.9, 6.3)	16	31.9%
Lane	Urban	3.4	(2.7, 4.2)	19	24.5%
Marion	Urban	5.0	(4.0, 6.1)	21	25.6%
Clackamas	Urban	5.1	(4.3, 6.0)	29	31.6%
Washington	Urban	4.5	(3.8, 5.3)	30	30.8%
Multnomah	Urban	4.5	(3.8, 5.2)	39	29.3%

Oregon’s overall late-stage diagnosis rate (29.3%) closely mirrors the national rate (29.1%). However, significant county-level variation exists. Josephine County stands out with the highest late-stage incidence rate (8.2) and the highest proportion of late-stage diagnoses (41.7%), well above the state average.

Kidney Transplants in Oregon

Transplant Volume and Waiting List

Transplantation is the preferred long-term treatment for kidney failure, providing better quality of life and outcomes compared to dialysis. The following data covers transplant volume and waiting list size in Oregon across available years.

Transplants Performed and Waiting List Status

Year of Transplants	Total Transplants	Living Donor	Deceased Donor	Waiting List	Access Ratio
2020	330	—	—	753	~1 in 2 received
2021	283	71	212	817	~1 in 3 received
2023	381	43	338	676	~1 in 2 received
2024	268	38	230	874	~1 in 3 received
2025	280	50	230	1,138	~1 in 4 received

Long-Term Change in Total Transplant Volume

2021: 283 transplants (+40.8% since 2011)
2023: 381 transplants (+81.0% since 2013)
2024: 268 transplants (+31.0% since 2014)
2025: 280 transplants (+29.0% since 2015)

Trend in Living Donor Transplants

2021: 71 living donor transplants (−6.6% since 2011)
2023: 43 living donor transplants (−14.0% since 2013)
2024: 38 living donor transplants (−37.0% since 2014)
2025: 50 living donor transplants (−17.0% since 2015)

While total transplant volume has grown significantly over the past decade, the waiting list has grown even faster — reaching 1,138 in 2026, the highest figure in the available data. As a result, only about 1 in 4 Oregonians on the waiting list received a transplant in 2025, a deterioration from 1 in 2 in 2020 and 2023.

Transplant Centers in Oregon

Oregon has three kidney transplant centers: Legacy Transplant Services at Good Samaritan (Portland), Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU, Portland), and VA Portland Health Care System.

Donor Program Participation (Last 12 Months)

The National Kidney Registry (NKR) coordinates paired kidney exchanges that expand donor compatibility. The table below shows each Oregon center’s NKR transplant volume and participation in associated programs.

Rank

Center

NKR Transplants

Deceased Donor Prioritization

Living Donor Prioritization

Donor Shield

Remote Donation

Voucher Program

NKR Member

Equal Access Commitment

Donor Referral Network

Kidney for Life

Donor Care Network

Nutcracker Care Network

Legacy Transplant Services at Good Samaritan

Yes

Oregon Health and Science University

VA Portland Health Care System

Total

1 center

Legacy Good Samaritan is the only Oregon center participating in any NKR or associated donor program, accounting for all 23 NKR transplants performed in the state in the last 12 months.

Recipient Statistics (04/01/2025 – 03/31/2026)

Rank	Center	Kidney for Life	Low Eplet Transplants	NKR Transplants	NKR Living Donor	Living Donor Total	NKR % of LD Transplants	Patient Microsites	Microsite CoE	Non-Steroidal Protocol	Voucher	NKR Member	Equal Access
1	Legacy Transplant Services at Good Samaritan	N	8	23	21	30	70%	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
2	Oregon Health and Science University	N	0	0	0	31	0%	No	No	?	No	No	No
3	VA Portland Health Care System	N	0	0	0	2	0%	No	No	?	No	No	No
Total	0	8	23	21	63	34%	1	1	0	1	1	1

CoE = Center of Excellence

OHSU performed the highest number of living donor transplants overall (31), just ahead of Legacy Good Samaritan (30). However, 70% of Legacy’s living donor transplants were facilitated through NKR exchange, compared to 0% at OHSU.

Adult Transplant Outcomes

All figures represent survival rates (%) for adult kidney transplant recipients. LD = Living Donor; DD = Deceased Donor.

Rank	Center	NKR Transplants	LD 1-Yr Graft	LD 3-Yr Graft	LD 1-Yr Patient	LD 3-Yr Patient	DD 1-Yr Graft	DD 3-Yr Graft	DD 1-Yr Patient	DD 3-Yr Patient
1	Legacy Transplant Services at Good Samaritan	23	98%	96%	97%	99%	94%	91%	98%	93%
2	Oregon Health and Science University	0	100%	98%	100%	100%	95%	91%	97%	93%
3	VA Portland Health Care System	0	100%	100%	100%	100%	94%	84%	97%	86%

All three Oregon centers report strong adult transplant outcomes. OHSU achieves the highest living donor survival rates (100% at both 1 and 3 years for patient survival).

Pediatric Transplant Outcomes

OHSU is the only center in Oregon performing pediatric kidney transplants. All figures below are for Oregon Health and Science University (NKR Transplants: 0).

Living Donor Outcomes

1-Year Graft Survival: 100%
3-Year Graft Survival: 67%
1-Year Patient Survival: 100%
3-Year Patient Survival: 100%

Deceased Donor Outcomes

1-Year Graft Survival: 100%
3-Year Graft Survival: 100%
1-Year Patient Survival: 100%
3-Year Patient Survival: 100%

OHSU’s pediatric deceased donor outcomes are uniformly excellent — 100% at both 1- and 3-year marks across graft and patient survival.

Kidney Disease and Kidney and Renal Pelvis Cancer Mortality

Kidney Disease Statewide Death Rates

Oregon’s kidney disease death rates are available from two overlapping measurement periods and a standalone mortality dataset, all pointing to a rate well below the national average.

Age-Adjusted Death Rates — Oregon vs. United States

2018–2020: Oregon age-adjusted death rate (kidney disease) — 7.4 per 100,000
2019–2023: Kidney Disease (Nephritis & Nephrosis) — Oregon 7.9 vs. U.S. 13.4 per 100,000

Standalone Kidney Disease Mortality Data

Annual death rate: 7
Annual deaths: 412

Oregon’s kidney disease death rate is significantly below the national average — roughly 41% lower when comparing the 2019–2023 figures (7.9 vs. 13.4 per 100,000).

Kidney Disease in Oregon’s Broader Mortality Context (2019–2023)

The following table places kidney disease death rates in context alongside all major causes of death in Oregon, with U.S. comparisons.

Cause of Death	Oregon Rate (per 100,000)	U.S. Rate (per 100,000)	Oregon vs. U.S.
Cancer	149.1	145.4	Higher
Heart Disease	142.7	168.9	Lower
Accidents & Adverse Effects	62.6	59.7	Higher
Cerebrovascular Diseases	44.0	39.8	Higher
Alzheimer’s Disease	38.8	30.8	Higher
Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease	35.7	35.9	Similar
Diabetes Mellitus	24.6	23.9	Higher
Suicide & Self-Inflicted Injury	19.4	13.9	Higher
Chronic Liver Disease & Cirrhosis	15.9	13.1	Higher
Kidney Disease (Nephritis & Nephrosis)	7.9	13.4	Lower
Septicemia	5.2	10.0	Lower
Pneumonia	5.1	10.7	Lower
Homicide & Legal Intervention	4.7	7.6	Lower
Influenza	1.5	1.1	Higher

Kidney disease ranks among the causes where Oregon performs considerably better than the national average — with a rate (7.9) that is 41% below the U.S. figure (13.4).

Kidney Cancer Mortality Trend (2000–2023)

Oregon’s kidney and renal pelvis cancer mortality rate has remained statistically stable over more than two decades. The Annual Percent Change (APC) was −0.3 (95% CI: −0.8 to 0.1), which is not statistically significant.

Year	Observed Rate (per 100,000)	Estimated Rate (per 100,000)
2000	4.4	4.0
2001	3.7	4.0
2002	4.4	4.0
2003	3.8	4.0
2004	4.1	4.0
2005	3.7	4.0
2006	4.0	3.9
2007	3.2	3.9
2008	3.9	3.9
2009	3.9	3.9
2010	4.3	3.9
2011	4.0	3.9
2012	3.7	3.9
2013	3.8	3.9
2014	3.7	3.8
2015	4.0	3.8
2016	3.6	3.8
2017	3.7	3.8
2018	4.2	3.8
2019	3.7	3.8
2020	3.8	3.8
2021	3.8	3.8
2022	3.9	3.7
2023	3.5	3.7

Over 24 years, Oregon’s kidney cancer mortality rate has fluctuated narrowly between 3.2 and 4.4 per 100,000, with no meaningful upward or downward trend.

Kidney Cancer Mortality by County (2019–2023)

The table below shows age-adjusted kidney and renal pelvis cancer death rates by Oregon county, sorted from lowest to highest. The statewide and national figures are included for reference.

County	Rural/Urban	Death Rate (per 100,000)	95% CI	Avg Annual Deaths	Trend
Oregon	—	3.7	(3.5, 4.0)	212	Stable
United States	—	3.4	(3.4, 3.5)	14,378	Falling
Deschutes	Urban	2.8	(2.0, 3.9)	8	Stable
Multnomah	Urban	2.9	(2.4, 3.5)	26	Falling
Jackson	Urban	3.2	(2.4, 4.2)	12	Stable
Washington	Urban	3.4	(2.8, 4.1)	22	Stable
Polk	Urban	3.4	(2.0, 5.4)	4	Stable
Douglas	Rural	3.4	(2.3, 5.0)	7	Stable
Yamhill	Urban	3.8	(2.5, 5.5)	6	Stable
Clackamas	Urban	3.8	(3.1, 4.6)	22	Stable
Klamath	Rural	4.0	(2.4, 6.2)	4	Stable
Josephine	Urban	4.0	(2.7, 5.9)	6	Stable
Marion	Urban	4.1	(3.2, 5.1)	17	Stable
Lane	Urban	4.1	(3.4, 5.0)	23	Stable
Lincoln	Rural	4.3	(2.7, 7.0)	5	Stable
Columbia	Urban	4.7	(2.7, 7.8)	3	*
Coos	Rural	4.7	(3.2, 7.1)	6	Stable
Linn	Urban	5.4	(3.9, 7.4)	9	Stable
Umatilla	Rural	6.3	(4.2, 9.1)	6	Rising

*Trend data suppressed due to small counts

Oregon’s overall kidney cancer death rate (3.7) slightly exceeds the U.S. average (3.4). Umatilla County has both the highest death rate (6.3 per 100,000) and the only statistically rising trend in the state.

Financial Burden and Assistance

Charitable Assistance from the American Kidney Fund

Kidney failure is classified as a disability. More than 80% of dialysis patients cannot work due to the time and physical demands of treatment. The American Kidney Fund (AKF) provides charitable grants to help low-income kidney failure patients afford health insurance premiums and other costs not covered by insurance.

AKF Grants to Oregon Patients by Year

Year	Oregon Recipients	Total AKF Assistance
2020	1,412	$3,800,000
2021	995	$3,618,362
2023	724	$2,644,847
2024	664	$2,583,054
2025	687	Not reported

Financial Hardship Profile of AKF-Assisted Patients (National Data)

Average annual income of AKF-assisted patients: under $25,000
Average annual out-of-pocket cost (dialysis patients): over $10,000
Share of AKF-assisted patients who are minorities: over 60% (black: 34.7%; hispanic/latino: 20.9%; native american / asian / pacific islander: 5.2%)

The number of Oregonians receiving AKF assistance has declined substantially — from 1,412 in 2020 to 664 in 2024, a reduction of more than 50%.

Insurance Coverage of AKF-Assisted Patients

The data below shows the type of insurance held by Oregon kidney patients who received AKF charitable assistance. Three years of data are available, illustrating year-to-year shifts in coverage type.

2024 Insurance Breakdown

Medigap: 27.3%
Medicare Part B: 25.0%
Commercial Employer Group Plans (incl. COBRA): 20.1%
Medicare Advantage: 0.6%

2023 Insurance Breakdown

Medicare Part B: 44.6%
Medigap: 23.4%
Employer Group Health Plans (incl. COBRA): 17.2%
Medicare Advantage: 1.4%

2021 Insurance Breakdown

Medicare Part B: 36.8%
Medigap: 31.1%
Employer Group Health Plans (incl. COBRA): 18.9%
Commercial Plans: 10.5%
Exchange Plans: 3.4%
Annuity: 1.5%
Medicare Advantage: 1.2%
Medicaid (premium-charging states): 0.1%

Medicare-based insurance (Part B, Medigap, and Medicare Advantage) consistently dominates coverage among AKF recipients, reflecting that many kidney failure patients qualify for Medicare through disability status regardless of age.

Medicare Costs: The Economic Case for Transplantation

There is the substantial cost difference between kidney disease treatment modalities — and the life-or-death stakes of the transplant waiting list.

Oregon Patients on Medicare (2016)

Diagnosed with CKD (on Medicare): 1,527 patients
On dialysis: 2,997 patients
Living with a kidney transplant: 5,101 patients
On the kidney transplant waiting list: 660 patients
Transplants performed in 2016: 232
Patients who died while on the waitlist in 2016: 26

Average Annual Medicare Cost by Treatment Type

Treatment	Annual Cost
Dialysis patient	$85,979
Kidney transplant (after first year)	$32,586
Kidney disease test	$80–$143

The annual Medicare cost of dialysis ($85,979) is more than 2.6 times the post-first-year transplant cost ($32,586) — a savings of over $53,000 per patient annually.

Conclusion

Kidney disease in Oregon affects tens of thousands of people at every stage — from the 4.4% of adults living with chronic kidney disease to the more than 7,265 currently experiencing kidney failure. More than 1,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, and nearly all begin dialysis rather than receive a transplant at the time of diagnosis. While total transplant volume has grown significantly over the past decade, the waiting list has outpaced supply: only 1 in 4 Oregonians on the list received a transplant in 2025, the worst access ratio in the available data and a significant deterioration from the 1 in 2 rate seen in 2020. At the same time, living donor transplants have fallen by as much as 37% depending on the baseline year, compounding the shortfall.

The financial toll of kidney failure is severe and disproportionate. Dialysis costs Medicare nearly $86,000 per patient per year — more than 2.6 times the annual cost of post-first-year transplant care — making expanded transplant access a fiscal as well as humanitarian priority. Kidney failure patients, the majority of whom cannot work, often depend on programs like the American Kidney Fund for basic insurance coverage. The data also reveal a stark demographic dimension: more than 60% of AKF-assisted patients nationally are minorities, with Black patients alone representing 34.7%, underscoring the unequal burden that kidney disease places on the most vulnerable communities.

Oregon’s kidney cancer mortality rate has remained stable for over two decades and is only marginally above the U.S. average, but county-level data reveals meaningful disparities. Umatilla County is the only county in Oregon with a statistically rising cancer death rate, and several rural counties — including Josephine, Clatsop, Umatilla, and Klamath — show consistently higher rates of late-stage cancer diagnosis than urban centers. Addressing these geographic inequities in early detection, expanding transplant access, and reducing the chronic disease burden that drives kidney failure represent the clearest paths to improving outcomes for Oregonians living with kidney disease.