Population in 2010: 602,088 in Misamis Oriental and 813,856
in Cagayan de Oro.
Languages: Local dialect is Cebuano but majority can speak and understand Tagalog and English. Most Chinese descendants speak Fookien. There are many Korean migrants who can speak English. Other dialects are Maranaw, Higaunon (the language of the original settlers), Ilongo, and Waray.
Religion.Almost 80 percent of the population are Roman Catholics. The rest are either liberal or conservative Protestants, such as Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and Iglesia Ni Kristo. There is a small but growing population of Muslims. Fewer are Buddhists and Hindus.
Population
1990
1995
2000
2007
2010
Average growth rate,
2000 to 2007
Households
Density (person per sq km)
Cagayan de Oro City
339,598
428,314
461,877
553,966
602,088
1.66
93,525
1,342
Misamis Oriental
525,453
587,551
664,338
748,885
813,856
2.54
152,889
219
TOTAL
865,051
1,015,865
1,126,215
1,302,851
National Statistics Office, Cagayan de Oro
Labor Force in Northern Mindanao
Jan. 2008
Jan. 2009 (%)
Jan. 2010 (%)
Jan 2011 (%)
Labor Force (‘000)/LFPR
2,615
68.3
70.2
68.4
Employment Rate
94.7
95.7
94.8
95.1
Unemployment Rate
5.3
4.3
5.2
4.9
National Statistics Office, Cagayan de Oro
Many families in the Philippines have members working abroad. Because of their huge dollar remittances, these Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are hailed as "new heroes". The
CIA World Factbook reports that the Philippine GDP grew at seven percent in 2007 partly because of "higher government spending ... a resilient service sector and large remittances from the millions of Filipinos who work abroad ...."
Added Nov. 30, 2023
Almost 80 percent of the population in Misamis Oriental are Roman Catholics.
Main information from Department of Trade and Industry-Misamis Oriental.