The local economy of Oregon and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
5.1%
-0.2 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Hood River County 3.7%, highest Josephine County 7.2%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,481
+4.6%vs a year ago
1,952,327 jobs at 173,451 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
15,315
+3.7%this year vs last year
Most in Deschutes County 2,399, Washington County 2,217.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-5,653
-1.7 per 1,000residents
99,974 moved in and 105,627 moved out. Most newcomers came from California.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Oregon gas price
$5.02
+$0.89vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Benton County $4.82, highest Wallowa County $5.40. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Oregon, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
122K
0.0%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
1.70M
+1.9%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (16.9%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$109.9B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$64,724
Highest sector: Management of Companies and Enterprises $143,537.
Per employee per year
Share of Oregon's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 144,208 | $26,398 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 77,363 | $94,592 |
| Employment Services | 55,164 | $47,299 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 54,245 | $143,537 |
| Grocery Stores | 41,530 | $32,948 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 35,863 | $34,590 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 33,436 | $89,463 |
| Offices of Physicians | 31,825 | $93,975 |
| Individual and Family Services | 29,641 | $40,723 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly | 26,338 | $38,279 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 25,768 | $36,039 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 24,578 | $40,170 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Oregon, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Oregon is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Oregon, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Oregon was 5.1% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 5.3% a year earlier. 2,095,305 people were employed out of a labor force of 2,208,273. Among its counties, Hood River County had the lowest rate (3.7%) and Josephine County the highest (7.2%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Oregon was $1,481 in Q1 2026, up 4.6% from a year earlier, across 1,952,327 jobs at 173,451 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 935 new homes in Oregon in August 2026 (751 single-family and 131 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 9,842, up 3.7% from the same months last year, and 15,315 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Deschutes County (2,399), Washington County (2,217), Multnomah County (1,973) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 99,974 people moved to Oregon and 105,627 moved away, a net loss of 5,653 (-1.7 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from California, Washington, Texas, and most people who left went to Washington, California, Texas.
Regular gasoline in Oregon averaged $5.02 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $0.89 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.76. Among its counties, Benton County had the lowest regular price ($4.82) and Wallowa County the highest ($5.40).
Health Care and Social Assistance (286,220 employees), Retail Trade (214,932 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (188,725 employees) were the largest sectors in Oregon in 2023. In all, 122,451 business locations employed 1,697,911 people at an average pay of $64,724 a year.