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Ancestry refers to the lineage or descent of a person, family, or group, tracing back through generations to identify their origins, heritage, and familial connections. It encompasses the genetic, cultural, and historical ties that link individuals to their forebears, shaping their identity and sense of belonging. Ancestry is a multifaceted concept, intertwining biology, genealogy, history, and culture, and it plays a significant role in how people understand themselves and their place in the world.

At its core, ancestry is rooted in genetics. Each individual inherits a unique combination of DNA from their parents, who in turn inherited their DNA from their own ancestors. This genetic material carries information about physical traits, predispositions to certain health conditions, and even behavioral tendencies. Advances in genetic testing, such as DNA analysis, have made it possible for individuals to trace their biological ancestry with remarkable precision. Companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA offer services that analyze genetic markers to provide insights into a person's ethnic composition and geographic origins, often revealing surprising connections to distant relatives or previously unknown heritage.

Beyond genetics, ancestry is deeply tied to genealogy, the study of family history and lineage. Genealogical research involves constructing family trees, documenting relationships, and uncovering historical records such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, census data, and immigration documents. This process often reveals stories of migration, resilience, and adaptation, offering a window into the lives of ancestors and the challenges they faced. For many, genealogy is a way to honor their forebears and preserve their legacy for future generations.

Cultural ancestry is another critical dimension, encompassing the traditions, languages, customs, and values passed down through generations. It connects individuals to their ethnic or national heritage, shaping their cultural identity and worldview. For example, someone with Irish ancestry might celebrate St. Patrick's Day, learn traditional Irish dance, or explore the Gaelic language, while someone with Japanese ancestry might practice tea ceremonies, study calligraphy, or observe Obon festivals. Cultural ancestry fosters a sense of continuity and belonging, linking individuals to a broader community with shared experiences and values.

Historical ancestry delves into the broader context of a family's or group's past, including significant events, social conditions, and historical movements that shaped their lives. For instance, the transatlantic slave trade, the Irish Potato Famine, or the Jewish diaspora have profoundly influenced the ancestry of millions of people, leaving lasting imprints on their descendants' identities. Understanding historical ancestry often involves grappling with complex narratives of triumph and tragedy, resilience and oppression, and the interplay of individual and collective experiences.

Ancestry also has a deeply personal and emotional dimension. For many, exploring their ancestry is a journey of self-discovery, offering insights into who they are and where they come from. It can foster a sense of pride, connection, and continuity, as well as a deeper appreciation for the struggles and achievements of those who came before. At the same time, it can raise questions about identity, belonging, and the complexities of heritage, particularly for individuals with mixed or multicultural backgrounds.

In a globalized world, ancestry serves as a bridge between the past and the present, connecting individuals to their roots while also highlighting the interconnectedness of human history. It underscores the diversity and richness of human experience, reminding us that every person's story is part of a larger tapestry woven over centuries. Whether through genetic testing, genealogical research, cultural practices, or historical exploration, ancestry offers a profound way to understand ourselves and our place in the world.

A diversification score measures the diversity of ancestries in the county. As the value appoaches 100, ancestry diversity decreases and therefore increasing the risk of a lack of cultural diversity. The ancestry diversification score for this county is:

Most common ancestry not including "Unknown" is:

Ancestry Report Part I
Description	Total Population	American	Native American	Hawaiian	Caribbean (Latino)	Mexican	Central American	South American	Other Hispanic	African American	Sub- Saharan	Caribbean (Black)

Crook County	27,313	2,221	231	20	27	1,625	25	187	109	50	29	0
Oregon (in 000's)	4,307	155	40	18	26	495	34	21	29	46	21	12
National (in 000's)	343,251	13,890	2,213	626	11,327	38,879	6,181	4,644	3,687	25,893	7,852	7,174
Deschutes County	213,338	7,466	1,100	259	595	14,764	1,512	722	1,050	480	167	120
Jefferson County	25,532	675	3,004	23	48	4,760	112	59	298	95	30	36
Harney County	7,390	395	193	0	14	332	3	0	44	3	5	1
Grant County	7,084	406	57	10	8	232	0	8	27	9	0	0
Wheeler County	1,456	120	18	0	0	64	0	0	12	1	0	0

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Crook County	12.41	8.13	0.85	0.07	0.10	5.95	0.09	0.68	0.40	0.18	0.11	0.00
Oregon	9.90	3.60	0.93	0.41	0.61	11.48	0.79	0.49	0.67	1.07	0.48	0.28
National	7.83	4.05	0.64	0.18	3.30	11.33	1.80	1.35	1.07	7.54	2.29	2.09
Deschutes County	10.88	3.50	0.52	0.12	0.28	6.92	0.71	0.34	0.49	0.22	0.08	0.06
Jefferson County	12.47	2.64	11.77	0.09	0.19	18.64	0.44	0.23	1.17	0.37	0.12	0.14
Harney County	13.38	5.35	2.61	0.00	0.19	4.49	0.04	0.00	0.60	0.04	0.07	0.01
Grant County	13.91	5.73	0.80	0.14	0.11	3.27	0.00	0.11	0.38	0.13	0.00	0.00
Wheeler County	13.92	8.24	1.24	0.00	0.00	4.40	0.00	0.00	0.82	0.07	0.00	0.00

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Crook County		225.59	90.85	17.98	16.20	51.81	11.55	139.50	59.68	17.05	22.10	0.00
Oregon		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		112.26	69.26	44.81	540.69	98.64	227.22	275.67	160.63	702.51	476.15	758.95
Deschutes County		97.09	55.39	29.81	45.70	60.27	89.43	68.96	73.61	20.95	16.29	20.42
Jefferson County		73.34	1,263.84	22.12	30.80	162.36	55.35	47.08	174.55	34.65	24.46	51.20
Harney County		148.28	280.54	0.00	31.04	39.12	5.12	0.00	89.04	3.78	14.08	4.91
Grant County		158.99	86.43	34.67	18.50	28.52	0.00	23.01	57.00	11.83	0.00	0.00
Wheeler County		228.64	132.80	0.00	0.00	38.28	0.00	0.00	123.26	6.40	0.00	0.00

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Crook County		200.95	131.17	40.13	3.00	52.53	5.08	50.60	37.16	2.43	4.64	0.00
Oregon		89.08	144.38	223.15	18.49	101.38	44.01	36.27	62.26	14.23	21.00	13.18
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Deschutes County		86.48	79.97	66.53	8.45	61.10	39.36	25.01	45.82	2.98	3.42	2.69
Jefferson County		65.33	1,824.72	49.36	5.70	164.60	24.36	17.08	108.67	4.93	5.14	6.75
Harney County		132.09	405.04	0.00	5.74	39.66	2.25	0.00	55.43	0.54	2.96	0.65
Grant County		141.63	124.79	77.36	3.42	28.91	0.00	8.35	35.49	1.68	0.00	0.00
Wheeler County		203.67	191.73	0.00	0.00	38.81	0.00	0.00	76.73	0.91	0.00	0.00

Ancestry Report Part II
Description	Total Population	Canadian	British	Dutch	French	German	Italian	Polish	Scandinavian	Scotish/ Irish	Spanish	Other European

Crook County	27,313	120	3,231	208	373	2,799	581	214	1,537	2,184	93	1,231
Oregon (in 000's)	4,307	20	347	37	59	415	80	36	199	336	23	192
National (in 000's)	343,251	1,350	18,069	1,828	3,642	24,708	9,027	4,667	5,969	20,625	1,140	9,563
Deschutes County	213,338	1,693	23,721	2,200	3,641	26,213	5,286	2,363	12,628	22,164	1,039	11,202
Jefferson County	25,532	161	1,592	225	173	1,830	202	82	914	1,554	173	515
Harney County	7,390	74	595	89	169	944	58	109	301	650	70	194
Grant County	7,084	75	770	84	96	882	126	31	360	577	120	320
Wheeler County	1,456	7	242	3	20	153	13	11	37	203	0	32

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Crook County	12.41	0.44	11.83	0.76	1.37	10.25	2.13	0.78	5.63	8.00	0.34	4.51
Oregon	9.90	0.47	8.06	0.87	1.37	9.64	1.86	0.84	4.61	7.79	0.54	4.47
National	7.83	0.39	5.26	0.53	1.06	7.20	2.63	1.36	1.74	6.01	0.33	2.79
Deschutes County	10.88	0.79	11.12	1.03	1.71	12.29	2.48	1.11	5.92	10.39	0.49	5.25
Jefferson County	12.47	0.63	6.24	0.88	0.68	7.17	0.79	0.32	3.58	6.09	0.68	2.02
Harney County	13.38	1.00	8.05	1.20	2.29	12.77	0.78	1.47	4.07	8.80	0.95	2.63
Grant County	13.91	1.06	10.87	1.19	1.36	12.45	1.78	0.44	5.08	8.15	1.69	4.52
Wheeler County	13.92	0.48	16.62	0.21	1.37	10.51	0.89	0.76	2.54	13.94	0.00	2.20

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Crook County		94.08	146.69	87.90	99.62	106.33	114.38	93.35	121.97	102.63	63.59	100.91
Oregon		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		84.23	65.28	61.47	77.39	74.69	141.41	161.99	37.69	77.12	62.04	62.38
Deschutes County		169.94	137.88	119.02	124.50	127.49	133.23	131.97	128.30	133.34	90.96	117.56
Jefferson County		135.03	77.32	101.71	49.43	74.37	42.54	38.27	77.59	78.12	126.55	45.16
Harney County		214.43	99.84	139.00	166.82	132.54	42.20	175.74	88.28	112.89	176.91	58.78
Grant County		226.72	134.79	136.86	98.86	129.19	95.64	52.14	110.15	104.54	316.37	101.14
Wheeler County		102.95	206.11	23.78	100.20	109.03	48.01	90.02	55.08	178.95	0.00	49.21

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Crook County		111.70	224.72	143.00	128.72	142.37	80.88	57.63	323.63	133.08	102.50	161.77
Oregon		118.72	153.19	162.69	129.21	133.89	70.72	61.73	265.32	129.67	161.18	160.31
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Deschutes County		201.75	211.23	193.64	160.86	170.69	94.21	81.47	340.41	172.90	146.61	188.46
Jefferson County		160.31	118.45	165.48	63.86	99.57	30.08	23.62	205.87	101.30	203.98	72.40
Harney County		254.57	152.95	226.14	215.55	177.46	29.84	108.49	234.24	146.38	285.15	94.22
Grant County		269.16	206.49	222.66	127.73	172.97	67.63	32.19	292.26	135.56	509.94	162.13
Wheeler County		122.23	315.74	38.69	129.47	145.98	33.95	55.57	146.14	232.04	0.00	78.88

Ancestry Report Part III
Description	Total Population	Chinese	Filipino	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	South Central Asian	South East Asian	Other Asian	Middle Eastern	Other Ancestry	Unknown

Crook County	27,313	10	29	0	3	0	14	1	41	37	3,234	6,849
Oregon (in 000's)	4,307	42	23	14	17	31	32	21	14	20	685	767
National (in 000's)	343,251	4,461	3,010	793	1,541	1,913	5,452	1,643	1,229	1,931	47,322	51,000
Deschutes County	213,338	706	376	350	321	130	172	190	190	581	26,490	43,447
Jefferson County	25,532	12	30	20	61	5	9	4	4	1	3,899	4,926
Harney County	7,390	0	9	3	0	0	3	1	1	2	1,209	1,919
Grant County	7,084	1	2	0	1	0	30	0	3	6	818	2,025
Wheeler County	1,456	1	0	0	3	1	0	3	0	0	159	353

Per Cent to Total Population	Diversity Index

Crook County	12.41	0.04	0.11	0.00	0.01	0.00	0.05	0.00	0.15	0.14	11.84	25.08
Oregon	9.90	0.98	0.53	0.33	0.39	0.72	0.73	0.49	0.32	0.47	15.90	17.82
National	7.83	1.30	0.88	0.23	0.45	0.56	1.59	0.48	0.36	0.56	13.79	14.86
Deschutes County	10.88	0.33	0.18	0.16	0.15	0.06	0.08	0.09	0.09	0.27	12.42	20.37
Jefferson County	12.47	0.05	0.12	0.08	0.24	0.02	0.04	0.02	0.02	0.00	15.27	19.29
Harney County	13.38	0.00	0.12	0.04	0.00	0.00	0.04	0.01	0.01	0.03	16.36	25.97
Grant County	13.91	0.01	0.03	0.00	0.01	0.00	0.42	0.00	0.04	0.08	11.55	28.59
Wheeler County	13.92	0.07	0.00	0.00	0.21	0.07	0.00	0.21	0.00	0.00	10.92	24.24

Comparisons to State Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Crook County		3.74	19.93	0.00	2.81	0.00	7.00	0.75	47.36	29.12	74.48	140.71
Oregon		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
National		132.83	164.59	70.91	114.97	77.16	216.96	98.07	112.99	120.89	86.72	83.37
Deschutes County		33.82	33.08	50.37	38.53	8.44	11.01	18.25	28.10	58.53	78.11	114.28
Jefferson County		4.80	22.05	24.05	61.17	2.71	4.81	3.21	4.94	0.84	96.06	108.26
Harney County		0.00	22.86	12.46	0.00	0.00	5.55	2.77	4.27	5.82	102.91	145.71
Grant County		1.44	5.30	0.00	3.61	0.00	57.85	0.00	13.36	18.20	72.63	160.40
Wheeler County		7.02	0.00	0.00	52.76	9.51	0.00	42.22	0.00	0.00	68.69	136.04

Comparisons to National Norms	% to Total >= 150%		% to Total < 50%

Crook County		2.82	12.11	0.00	2.45	0.00	3.23	0.76	41.91	24.08	85.89	168.77
Oregon		75.29	60.76	141.02	86.98	129.60	46.09	101.97	88.50	82.72	115.31	119.94
National		100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Deschutes County		25.46	20.10	71.03	33.51	10.93	5.08	18.61	24.87	48.42	90.07	137.07
Jefferson County		3.62	13.40	33.91	53.21	3.51	2.22	3.27	4.37	0.70	110.77	129.85
Harney County		0.00	13.89	17.57	0.00	0.00	2.56	2.83	3.78	4.81	118.67	174.77
Grant County		1.09	3.22	0.00	3.14	0.00	26.66	0.00	11.82	15.06	83.76	192.39
Wheeler County		5.28	0.00	0.00	45.88	12.32	0.00	43.05	0.00	0.00	79.21	163.18

Sources: STI: PopStats, Circa April 2025

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