Thanksgiving Fun Facts

In this time of gratitude, we give thanks to you – our readers! We are grateful to be able to provide you with quality information on Oregon’s labor market so that you can make informed choices about your career, business, policy, grant, or project. On behalf of all of us at the Oregon Employment Department, Happy Thanksgiving! 

Countries celebrating Thanksgiving and similarly named holidays on various dates include Australia (Norfolk Island), Canada, Germany, Grenada, Japan, Liberia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

695
The number of supermarkets and other grocery (except convenience) stores in Oregon in 2019. These establishments are expected to be extremely busy around Thanksgiving as people prepare for their delightful meals.

64
The number of fruit and vegetable markets in Oregon in 2019 ─ a great place to find holiday side dishes.

1,649,352
The number of occupied housing units across Oregon in 2019 ─ potential stops for Thanksgiving dinner.

47,783
The number of multigenerational households in Oregon in 2019. It is possible these households, consisting of three or more generations, will have to purchase large quantities of food to accommodate all the family members sitting around the table for the holiday feast, even if there are no guests.


222 million
The forecasted number of turkeys raised in the U.S. in 2020 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. That is down 3.0 percent from the number raised during 2019.


25 million
The total number of potatoes ─ another popular Thanksgiving side dish ─ harvested in Oregon in 2019. The value of potato harvest in Oregon was $234 million.

530,000
The forecasted barrels of cranberries produced in Oregon in 2020. Oregon ranks fourth in the nation for cranberry production.

Celebrating Oregon's Workers: Labor Day 2020

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City. By 1884, 23 other states adopted the holiday to celebrate workers. In the same year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday within the District of Columbia and its territories.

The United States differs from the majority of the world on the date of their Labor Day holiday. A large number of foreign countries celebrate May Day (May 1st), which is also called International Workers’ Day as their workers’ holiday.

In recognition of Labor Day 2020, here are some workforce-related statistics:

2,059,199
The total civilian labor force in Oregon in July 2020. The United States had 159.8 million in the same time period.

118,000
The number of Oregonians who held two or more jobs in 2019. Roughly 5.8 percent of Oregonians held multiple jobs in 2019, slightly higher than the 5.1 percent of workers who worked multiple jobs in the U.S.

213,562
The number of unemployed Oregonians in July 2020. Nationwide, approximately 16 million individuals were unemployed in July of this year.

254,959
The number of union members in Oregon in 2019. About 14 percent of Oregon's workers are union members. The membership rate for private-sector workers (7.3%) was much lower than the rate for public-sector workers (53.2%). Nationwide, the union membership rate was 10.3 percent in 2019.

$20.34
The estimated median hourly wage for all occupations in Oregon in May 2020. The Portland metro area had the highest median hourly wage of Oregon's metro areas at $23.20. Nationwide, the estimated median hourly wage was $19.14 in May 2019.

23.7
The average commute time (in minutes) to work in Oregon in 2017. The United States average was higher at 26.6 minutes in 2018.

6.8%
The percentage of workers 16 and over that worked from home in 2018 in Oregon, which was higher than the nationwide average of 4.9 percent.

Halloween Fun Facts

Happy Halloween! We're treating you with some fun facts related to Halloween festivities.

721,290

The 2018 population of Oregonians under age 15 potentially in search of candy asking "trick or treat?"

1,639,970
The number of households statewide (2018) that children might pass by and/or visit while trick-or-treating

59
The number of confectionery and nut stores in Oregon that sold candy and other confectionery products in 2018

60
The number of chocolate and confectionery product manufacturing establishments in Oregon in 2018

381
The number of people employed by manufacturing establishments in Oregon that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2018

$86.27
Average estimated Halloween spending per buyer in 2019, according to the National Retail Federation's annual survey

331

Oregon's total number of gift and novelty stores in 2018, which includes seasonal Halloween costume stores 

More fun facts about Halloween are available at the U.S. Census Bureau's Facts For Feature page. 

In Celebration of Manufacturing Day: Manufacturing in Oregon

In celebration of Manufacturing Day, here are some facts about manufacturing in Oregon.

In August 2019, 205,200 people were employed in Oregon's manufacturing sector, making up more than 10 percent of Oregon's total nonfarm employment.

Nearly one out of five (19.4%) of Oregon's manufacturing workers in 2018 worked in computer and electronic product manufacturing. The next largest detailed sectors of manufacturing employment were food product manufacturing (15.3%), and wood product manufacturing (12.15%).

Oregon's manufacturing sector is made up of more than twice as large a share of employment in computer and electronic product manufacturing than the U.S. (19% vs. 8%) and three times as large a share in wood product manufacturing (12% vs. 3%).

Manufacturing wages averaged $70,641 in 2018, 33 percent higher than Oregon's all-industry average.

To learn more about manufacturing in Oregon, check out Projections Economist Felicia Bechtoldt's article here.

Celebrating Oregon's Workers: Labor Day 2019

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City. By 1884, 23 other states adopted the holiday to celebrate workers. In the same year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday within the District of Columbia and its territories. 

The United States differs from the majority of the world on the date of their Labor Day holiday. A large number of foreign countries celebrate May Day (May 1st), which is also called International Workers’ Day as their workers’ holiday.

In recognition of Labor Day 2019, here are some workforce-related statistics:

2,115,242
The total civilian labor force in Oregon in July 2019. The United States had 163.4 million in the same time period.

110,000 
The number of Oregonians who held two or more jobs in 2018. Roughly 5.5 percent of Oregonians held multiple jobs in 2018, slightly higher than the 5.0 percent of workers who worked multiple jobs in the U.S. 

84,322
The number of unemployed Oregonians in July 2019. Nationwide, approximately 6 million individuals were unemployed in July of this year.

241,150
The number of union members in Oregon in 2018. About 14 percent of Oregon's workers are union members. The membership rate for private-sector workers (7.1%) was much lower than the rate for public-sector workers (51.0%). Nationwide, the union membership rate was 10.5 percent in 2018.

$19.09
The estimated median hourly wage for all occupations in Oregon in May 2018. The Portland metro area had the highest median hourly wage of Oregon's metro areas at $21.36. Nationwide, the estimated median hourly wage was $18.58.

23.5
The average commute time (in minutes) to work in Oregon in 2017. The United States average was higher at 26.4 minutes in 2017.

6.6%
The percentage of workers 16 and over that worked from home in 2017 in Oregon, which was higher than the nationwide average of 3.7 percent.