January Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 2.8 percent in January 2020. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in January include Washington (2.9%), Hood River (3.0%), and Multnomah (3.1%). Six counties had unemployment rates below the national rate of 3.6 percent. The same six counties also had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 3.3 percent.

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 6.3 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in January were Klamath (6.2%) and Wallowa (5.5%).

In January 2020, all of Oregon’s counties were at or below their unemployment rates for January 2019. Sherman County had the same unemployment rate in January 2020 as in January 2019 (4.0%). Harney County’s unemployment rate decreased the most, dropping 1.9 percentage points from 6.6 percent in January 2019 to 4.7 percent in January 2020.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in four of Oregon’s six broad regions between January 2019 and January 2020. The largest job gains occurred in the Portland area (+1.1%). The Willamette Valley (+0.9%), Central Oregon (+0.7%), and Southern Oregon (+0.2%) saw employment growth over the past year.

Read the full press release here.

December 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton and Washington County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rates at 3.0 percent in December 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in December included Hood River (3.1%) and Multnomah (3.2%). Seven counties had unemployment rates below the national rate of 3.5 percent. Nine of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide rate of 3.7 percent.

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 6.6 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in November were Klamath (6.3%) and Wallowa (5.9%).

In December 2019, all of Oregon’s counties were at or below their unemployment rates for December 2018. Wheeler County had the same unemployment rate in December 2018 as in December 2019 (4.5%). Curry County’s unemployment decreased the most, from 6.8 percent in December 2018 to 5.1 percent in December 2019.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between December 2018 and December 2019. The largest job gains occurred in Central Oregon (+2.2%). The Portland area (+1.0%), Southern Oregon (+1.0%), the Willamette Valley (+0.8%), the Coast (+0.7%), and Eastern Oregon (+0.6%) also saw employment growth over the past year.

Read the full press release here.

September 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.3 percent in September 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in September included Hood River (3.4%), Washington (3.4%), and Multnomah (3.6%). Three counties had unemployment rates at or below the national rate of 3.5 percent. Nine of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates below the statewide rate of 4.1 percent. Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.1 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in September were Klamath (6.7%) and Wallowa (6.6%).

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between September 2018 and September 2019. The largest job gains occurred in the Portland area (+1.1%). The Coast (+0.8%), Southern Oregon (+0.8%), the Willamette Valley (+0.7%), Central Oregon (+0. 6%), and Eastern Oregon (+0.4%) also saw employment growth over the past year.

Read the full press release here. 

August 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.2 percent in August 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in August included Hood River (3.4%), Washington (3.4%), and Multnomah (3.5%). Six counties had unemployment rates at or below the national rate of 3.7 percent. Nine of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates below the statewide rate of 4.0 percent. Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.1 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in August were Wallowa and Klamath (6.5%).

August 2019 unemployment rates for almost all of Oregon’s counties were similar to what they were in August 2018. Only Wheeler County had a change greater than 1 percentage point, with an increase of 1.2 percentage points in its unemployment rate over the past year. Curry County’s unemployment rate decreased 0.3 percentage point over the past year, the most of any county.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between August 2018 and August 2019. The largest job gains occurred in the Portland area and Southern Oregon (+1.2%). The Willamette Valley (+0.9%), the Coast (+0.8%), Central Oregon (+0.3%), and Eastern Oregon (+0.3%) also saw employment growth over the past year.

The press release can be found here. 

July 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.1 percent in July 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in June included Washington (3.3%), Hood River (3.4%), and Multnomah (3.5%). Seven counties had unemployment rates at or below the national rate of 3.7 percent. Eight of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates below the statewide rate of 4.0 percent. 

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.3 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in July were Wallowa and Klamath (6.4%). July 2019 unemployment rates for almost all of Oregon’s counties were similar to what they were in July 2018. 

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between July 2018 and July 2019. The largest job gains occurred in the Portland area (+1.5%). Southern Oregon (+1.1%), the Willamette Valley (0.9%), the Coast (+0.8%), Eastern Oregon (+0.8%), and Central Oregon (+0.4%) also saw employment growth over the past year.

Read the full press release here. 

June 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.2 percent in June 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in June included Washington (3.3%), Hood River (3.5%), and Multnomah (3.5%). Seven counties had unemployment rates at or below the national rate of 3.7 percent. Eight of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates below the statewide rate of 4.1 percent.

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.5 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in June were Klamath (6.5%) and Wallowa (6.3%).

Read the full press release here.

May 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.2 percent in May 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in May included Washington (3.4%) and Hood River (3.5%). Only Benton, Washington, Hood River, and Multnomah counties had unemployment rates at or below the national rate of 3.6 percent. Eight of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates below the statewide rate of 4.2 percent.

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.8 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in May were Klamath (6.7%); and Wallowa, Lake, and Harney (6.3%). May 2019 unemployment rates for almost all of Oregon’s counties were similar to what they were in May 2018. Only Wheeler (+1.5%), Grant (+1.1%), and Gilliam (+1.0%) counties had unemployment rates change more than 1 percentage point over the past year.

Read the full press release here. 

Truck Transportation in Oregon Holds Steady at 18,800 jobs in 2018

Oregon’s truck transportation industry leveled off in 2016, averaging 18,800 jobs, ending a six-year, post-Great Recession growth spurt. The industry’s employment held steady in both 2017 and 2018. At its 2006 pre-Great Recession peak, truck transportation averaged 19,700 jobs. Truck transportation hit bottom in 2010 with 16,500 jobs, leaving a gap of 3,200, or 16 percent, to fill.

Based on 2006 employment levels, Portland’s tri-county area comprised half of Oregon’s truck transportation industry. Moving forward to 2018, its share fell to 48 percent, a difference of about 600 jobs. On a regional basis, the tri-county Portland area experienced a deeper job loss, falling from 9,800 in 2006 to 7,900 in 2010, down 1,900 jobs or 19 percent. Outside the tri-county Portland area, truck transportation peaked at roughly the same level, with just over 9,700 jobs in 2006. But job losses were less severe, falling by around 1,300 or 14 percent to average 8,400 in 2010.

Oregon’s truck transportation industry started adding back jobs in 2011, with the tri-county Portland area reaching 9,100 jobs in 2018, an increase of 1,200. Outside Portland, the rest of Oregon performed considerably better, adding more than 1,400 jobs to reach 9,800 in 2016, an increase of 100 jobs over its 2006 peak. Employment outside Portland dropped slightly in 2017 and held steady in 2018 with 9,700 jobs or 52 percent of Oregon’s total.

To learn more, read the full article written by Regional Economist Dallas Fridley.

April 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.3 percent in April 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in April included Washington (3.5%) and Hood River (3.6%). Only Benton, Washington, and Hood River counties had unemployment rates at or below the national rate of 3.6 percent. Eight of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates below the statewide rate of 4.3 percent. 

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 8.0 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in April were Klamath (6.9%) and Harney (6.6%). April 2019 unemployment rates for almost all of Oregon’s counties were similar to what they were in April 2018. Only Wheeler (+1.5%), Gilliam (+1.1%), Grant (+1.1%), and Lake (+1.1%) counties had unemployment rates change more than 1 percentage point over the past year.

Read the full press release here. 

March 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.4 percent in March 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in March included Washington (3.6%), Clackamas, Hood River, Multnomah, and Yamhill (all at 3.9%). Only Benton and Washington counties had unemployment rates at or below the national rate of 3.8 percent. Seven of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates below the statewide rate of 4.4 percent.

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 8.4 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in March were Klamath (7.3%) and Harney (6.9%). The March 2019 unemployment rates of almost all of Oregon’s counties were higher than they were in March 2018.

Read the full press release here. 

February 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.4 percent in February 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in February included Washington (3.7%) and Hood River (3.8%). Only these three counties had unemployment rates at or below the national rate of 3.8 percent. Seven of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates below the statewide rate of 4.4 percent. 

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 8.7 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in February were Klamath (7.4%) and Harney (7.1%).

The February 2019 unemployment rates of all of Oregon’s counties were higher than they were in February 2018. The largest changes from the previous year were in Wheeler (+1.8%), Grant (+1.7%), and Gilliam (+1.6%).

Read the full press release here. 

January 2019 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.4 percent in January 2019. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in January included Hood River (3.5%) and Washington (3.7%). Seven of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide unemployment rate of 4.3 percent and the national rate of 4.0 percent.

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 8.5 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in January were Harney and Klamath (7.2%).

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between January 2018 and January 2019. The largest job gains occurred in Southern Oregon and Central Oregon (+1.5%). The Portland Area (+1.2%), the Coast (+0.8%), the Willamette Valley (+0.6%) and Eastern Oregon (+0.6%) also added jobs.

Read the full press release here. 

Regional Comparisons of Employer-Provided Benefits in Oregon

Our recently released report about employer-provided benefits in Oregon details the most common health, retirement, leave, pay, and other offerings private employers extended to their full-time and part-time employees in June 2018.

Among the key findings: private companies in Portland and the Willamette Valley tended to have the largest shares of employers offering benefits. In addition, larger shares of firms with at least 50 payroll employees in Oregon offered benefits than the smallest firms (2 to 9 employees).

There's some interplay between these themes. Portland and the Willamette Valley have the largest concentrations of the the largest firms. Industries like leisure and hospitality and natural resources, which tend to have smaller shares of employers offering benefits, also tend to be more concentrated in more tourism-reliant and/or rural areas such as the Oregon Coast and Eastern Oregon. Relatedly, the Oregon Coast and Eastern Oregon are the regions with the smallest shares of employers offering benefits.

Even with these influencing factors, in many cases the top line regional variation in benefit offerings seems relatively small. Looking, for example, at retirement, annual pay raises, unpaid leave, and paid vacation, at most six out of 10 employers extend the option, and at a minimum four out of 10 employers in a region offer them.

Wider differences emerge when we also consider that private employers are far more likely to offer benefits to full-time employees than their part-time counterparts. The most commonly offered single benefit in Oregon in June 2018 was employee medical insurance. More than half (57%) of all private employers offered this to full-time workers, while 10 percent extended the option to part-time workers.

Returning to the Portland vs. Coast comparison, seven out of 10 employers in the state's largest metropolitan area offered employee medical insurance, compared with four out of 10 coastal companies. In Eastern Oregon, one-third of employers offered employee medical to full-timers. Portland employers were three times more likely to offer employee medical insurance to part-time employees than companies on the coast or in Eastern Oregon. Differences like these can also be found in family medical insurance and vision coverage, but the trend isn't universal. Employers in Eastern Oregon and along the coast are more likely to offer SEP or SIMPLE retirement options to full-time and part-time employees than companies in Portland or the Willamette Valley.

More information about employer-provided benefits in Oregon -- including interactive graphs, a podcast, and the full report -- can be found on the benefits page at QualityInfo.org.

December 2018 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.3 percent in December 2018. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in December included Hood River (3.5%), Washington (3.5%), and Multnomah (3.7%).

Seven of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide unemployment rate of 4.1 percent and six were at or below the national rate of 3.9 percent. Eastern and Southern Oregon had higher unemployment rates in December 2018, which were still close to their record low unemployment rates since 1990.

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.4 percent. Other counties with some of the highest unemployment rates in December were Klamath (6.6%) and Curry (6.5%).

Read the full press release here. 

Employer-Provided Benefits in Oregon

Three-fourths (76%) of Oregon's private employers offered one or more health, retirement, leave, pay, or other benefits to employees in June 2018. More than half (59%) of all employers offered health benefits, while 51 percent offered retirement benefits. This findings come from a survey of more than 12,000 private employers conducted by the Employment Department, and summarized in the new report Employer-Provided Benefits: Offerings, Enrollment, and Rising Costs.

A few big themes emerged from the survey. First, larger shares of private employers offered benefits to full-time employees than part-time employees. This was true across the board. While about six out of 10 employers offered health benefits to full-time employees, just one out of 10 extended the offering to part-time employees. Half of all private employers offered retirement benefits to full-time employees, while 23 percent offered them to part-time employees.

Second, as a firm's size class increased, so did the likelihood of offering benefits. The most common benefit offerings in June 2018 included health benefits, retirement benefits, paid holidays, paid vacation, unpaid leave, and annual pay raises. The share of mid-sized employers (10 to 49 payroll employees in Oregon) generally reflected the overall trend for benefit offerings. Shares of the smallest employers (2 to 9 employees) and largest employers (50+ employees) offering these benefits showed great disparity though. The biggest differences occurred in overall health and retirement offerings, where the share of the largest employers extending benefits exceeded the smallest employers by more than 50 percentage points.

Another notable trend Oregon employers detailed was the high cost of providing health benefits. When employers with health benefits were asked to describe the most important effects on their business and workforce over the past year, two-thirds (67%) mentioned the high/higher/increasing costs of health care. In addition, almost three-fourths (73%) of employers with health benefit offerings noted that the total cost of their plan increased over the past year.

More information about employer-provided benefits, both regionally and statewide, can be found at QualityInfo.org/benefits. Check out our interactive graphs and benefits podcast too!

November 2018 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.3 percent in November 2018. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in November included Hood River (3.4%), Washington (3.4%), and Multnomah (3.6%). 

Seven of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide unemployment rate of 3.9 percent and four were at or below the national rate of 3.7 percent. Eastern and Southern Oregon had higher unemployment rates in November 2018, which were still close to their record low unemployment rates since 1990. 

Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.1 percent, which was 1 percentage higher than Grant’s lowest unemployment rate since comparable records began in 1990. Harney County’s unemployment rate improved over the year by 0.7 percentage point, more than any other county.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in all six of Oregon’s broad regions between November 2017 and November 2018. The largest job gains occurred in Central Oregon (+2.3%). The Willamette Valley (+1.9%), Southern Oregon (+1.4%), the Portland area (+1.3%), the Oregon Coast (+0.8%), and Eastern Oregon (+0.7%) also added jobs.

Press releases for all Oregon areas are available here. 

Oregon's Minimum Wage Increases on July 1, 2018

On July 1, 2018, the minimum wage increases to $12.00 per hour inside the Portland urban growth boundary, $10.50 per hour in nonurban counties, and $10.75 in other areas of the state.

Oregon’s three minimum wages will be in the top six state-level minimum wages in the nation (including the District of Columbia). The highest minimum wage will be in the District of Columbia ($13.25), followed by Washington ($11.50), Massachusetts ($11.00), and California ($11.00). The federal minimum wage will remain at $7.25 per hour.

Looking back between July 1, 2017 and July 1, 2018, Oregon’s minimum wages were $11.25 per hour within the Portland urban growth boundary, $10.25 standard, and $10.00 in nonurban counties. Roughly 7.4 percent of all jobs (160,274 jobs) paid minimum wage or less in Oregon in the third quarter of 2017. The share of jobs paying minimum wage ranged from a low of 4.0 percent in Morrow County (295 jobs) to a high of 13.3 percent in Malheur County (2,050 jobs). Multnomah County had 39,561 minimum wage jobs, which made up 7.1 percent of total jobs in the county.

You can find more information about Oregon's three minimum wages in this article, written by Economist Felicia Bechtoldt and State Employment Economist Nick Beleiciks.

Oregon's Current Workforce Gaps and Future Workforce Needs

Continued job growth and record low unemployment are making it difficult for Oregon businesses to fill current vacancies, and Oregon’s economy is expected to create 263,000 total job openings each year through 2027. These are the findings of two new reports released by the Oregon Employment Department. One report is based on a survey of businesses that is designed to measure Oregon’s current workforce gaps. The other is based on economic trends and forecasts, and is designed to predict Oregon’s future workforce needs.

Oregon businesses had 60,700 job vacancies at any one time during 2017. According to businesses, 38,700 (64%) of these vacancies were difficult to fill. This was the largest number of vacancies and share of difficult-to-fill vacancies since the job vacancy survey began in 2013.

A lack of applicants was the most common challenge filling vacancies. Nearly one out of every three (30%) difficult-to-fill job vacancies had an insufficient number of applicants or no applicants at all. Employers reported difficulty filling at least some job openings for 354 different occupations. Those with the largest number of difficult-to-fill vacancies included truck drivers, carpenters, personal care aides, construction laborers, farmworkers, and restaurant cooks. Hiring challenges are affecting all areas and all industries in Oregon.

Businesses' relatively strong demand for workers should continue through 2027. Oregon's total employment is projected to grow by 12 percent, with a total of 246,000 new jobs and an annual average of 263,000 total job openings.

All private sectors are expected to add jobs. Private health care and social assistance will lead all industries in new job growth, accounting for one out of every five new jobs in Oregon by 2027. This can be attributed to continued growth and aging of the state's population. Oregon's second-fastest growing industry will be construction. Demand from both population and economic growth, and currently low residential inventory and low commercial vacancy rates across many areas of the state should lead construction employment to rise by 17 percent.

Want to see how your occupation will fare between 2017 and 2027? Check out this interactive display of total projected openings for hundreds of occupations statewide.

All areas of Oregon expect to see job opportunities due to both economic growth and to replace workers leaving the labor force or making major occupational changes. The two regions projected to grow faster than the statewide rate are Central Oregon (15%) and the Portland area (13%).

A wealth of additional information can be found in the full report about Oregon's current workforce gaps, written by State Employment Economist Nick Beleiciks. More employment projections details and interactive graphs are available at qualityinfo.org/projections.

April 2018 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Wheeler County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 3.0 percent in April 2018. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in April included Benton (3.1%), Gilliam (3.2%), and Hood River (3.2%). Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.2 percent.

Twelve of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide unemployment rate of 4.1 percent. Wheeler County saw its unemployment rate improve over the year by 1.4 percentage points, more than any other county. Klamath County saw its unemployment rate increase the most of any county over the past year, rising 0.5 percentage point to 6.3 percent. 

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in five of Oregon’s six broad regions between April 2017 and April 2018. The largest job gains occurred in Central Oregon (+2.9%). Southern Oregon (+2.7%), the Willamette Valley (+2.1%), the Portland area (+1.3%), and the Oregon Coast (+1.2%) also added jobs. Eastern Oregon had no growth over the past year.

To learn more about the employment situation for your county, click here. To see the full press release, click here.

March 2018 Employment and Unemployment in Oregon’s Counties

Wheeler County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 2.9 percent in March 2018. Other counties with some of the lowest unemployment rates in March included Benton (3.1%) and Hood River (3.2%). 

Eastern and Southern Oregon had higher unemployment rates in March 2018, which were still close to their record low unemployment rates since 1990. Grant County registered the highest unemployment rate for the month at 7.3 percent.

Ten of Oregon’s counties had unemployment rates at or below the statewide and national unemployment rate of 4.1 percent. Wheeler County saw its unemployment rate improve over the year by 1.4 percentage points, more than any other county. Josephine County saw its unemployment rate increase the most of any county over the past year, rising 0.8 percentage point to 5.3 percent.

To learn more about the employment situation for your county, click here. To see the full press release, click here.