The department covers a total surface area of 7,939 km2 and, in 2005, had an estimated population of 503,886 people.

It is famous for the Lluvia de Peces (rain of fishes), a tradition by which fish fall from the sky during very heavy rains.

At the time of the 2013 Honduras census, Yoro Department had a population of 570,595.

Of these, 88.12% were Mestizo, 7.26% White, 3.79% Indigenous (2.92% Tolupan, 0.39% Chʼortiʼ, 0.28% Lenca, 0.09% Nahua), 0.71% Black or Afro-Honduran and 0.12% others.

[4] The department, historically, is known for harvesting mahogany and cedar trees for exportation.