Higher Education and Earnings by Race in Oregon

About 17 percent of Oregon African Americans age 25 or older have a bachelor’s degree, That's slightly below the share of all Oregonians age 25 or older (21%). Another 12 percent of black residents have a graduate or professional degree, which is roughly the same as the statewide share (13%).

Another 37 percent of Oregon’s black residents over 25 have some college or an associate’s degree, a a slightly larger share than Oregon statewide (34%). African Americans also have a slightly larger share of population with less than a high school diploma, at 12 percent versus 9 percent of Oregonians statewide.

Average monthly earnings for Oregonians statewide was $4,355 in 2017. Asian residents had the highest average monthly earnings at $5,332, followed by white residents at $4,369. African American earnings averaged $3,635 monthly, 83 percent of the average statewide. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders ($3,231), and American Indian or Alaska Natives ($3,122) had the lowest monthly earnings statewide.

To learn more about African Americans in the Oregon workforce, read the full article written by Workforce Analyst Shawna Sykes.