Oregon's Out-of-State Workers

Oregon's open beaches, rugged mountains, and grape-filled hillsides make it a popular destination for visitors. But there's something else about Oregon that attracts 92,000 people from out of state – jobs. 

More than 45,000 people live in Oregon, but work out of state. The net "inflow" of nearly 47,000 workers to Oregon influences the economy in a variety of ways. The number of out-of-state workers grew rapidly over the last decade, from 72,244 in 2002 to 91,997 in 2010. That impressive 27 percent increase in out-of-state workers was surpassed by the 48 percent rise in Oregonians working in other states, which grew from 30,369 in 2002 to 45,089 in 2010. 

Two-thirds of out-of-state workers are Washington residents who work in the Portland tri-county area (Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties). Although the number of these workers grew from 54,739 in 2002 to 60,669 in 2010, the number peaked at 61,042 in 2007 and their share of out-of-state workers peaked at 76 percent in 2005.   

The fact that people live in neighboring states and work in Oregon isn’t surprising. But what about workers living in Texas, New York, Florida, and other far away states? Their numbers more than tripled between 2002 and 2010. One explanation for the growing number of out-of-state workers is the rise in teleworking – regular employees working outside the conventional workplace and interacting with others via communication technologies. According to a national report from The Conference Board, more than 2 percent of full-time employees worked primarily from home in 2010, double the share that worked from home in 2000.

Get more details in the full article, written by State Employment Economist Nick Beleiciks.