Commercial Banking and Credit Analysts: Providing Financial Services for Oregonians

Two articles on QualityInfo this month take a look at financial services in the state. The first article spotlights the commercial banking industry, which is the largest sector of the finance industry with almost 15,000 jobs in Oregon and an annual payroll of $780 million. The industry has also outperformed most of the economy in Oregon over the past 10 years. Overall, employment in Oregon is up 4 percent from where it was 10 years ago, whereas employment in commercial banking has grown by 33 percent over the same period. The commercial banking industry also pays higher wages. The average wage in the commercial banking industry was $52,382 in Oregon in 2012, which is 18 percent more than the average wage for all industries in Oregon. 

The second article focuses on credit analysts, one of the occupations found in the commercial banking industry. There are fewer than 560 credit analysts in Oregon, so it's a relatively small occupation. Each year through 2020 there will be about 24 job openings in this field as people retire or change occupations, with most found in metropolitan areas such as Portland. Wages for entry-level credit analysts start at about $15.75 per hour. The average hourly wage is nearly twice this rate, at $28.69. 

For more information about commercial banking, credit analysts, or any other occupation or industry in Oregon, visit QualityInfo.org.