Median Wages Increased in Third Quarter 2016 in Oregon

Oregon is finally enjoying the benefits of a strong economy. Robust economic and employment growth often leads to increasing wages, and that seems to be happening in Oregon. Average wages per person increased 5.1 percent over the year to $3,929 per month. So did median wages, and they are usually more representative of a typical wage. Additionally, wages increased at all levels of wages. The lowest-paid fifth of workers had their median wage rise 5 percent over the year; the highest-paid fifth of workers had their median wage rise 5.8 percent. In fact, all wage groups had median wages that rose in the 5 to 6 percent range.

Of course some Oregon employment trends remain unchanged. The information, government, construction, wholesale trade, finance, and manufacturing industries still provided more of the higher wage jobs. Leisure and hospitality still had the lowest median wage of any industry during the third quarter of 2016. Big employers, those with more than 500 employees, paid significantly more per hour than any other sized group of employers. Big employers provided about one-third of the jobs in Oregon, but more than half of all jobs that paid more than $50 per hour.

For more information see the full third quarter 2016 report.