Central Oregon Economic Indicators August 2023

Published on Oct 4, 2023

Economy in Central Oregon

By Nicole Ramos | Regional Economist, East Cascades | Oregon Employment Department

Over the last 12 months ending in August, Oregon’s total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 1.7%, adding 33,400 jobs. In Central Oregon, total nonfarm payroll employment was up by 850 jobs year-over-year, with most employment gains taking place in Deschutes County (820). Jefferson County saw employment increase by 210 jobs year-over-year, while Crook County saw total nonfarm payroll employment decrease by 180 during this time.

After six months of declines, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 3.4% in August. The last time Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was this low was in November and December of 2019. In contrast, the nation’s unemployment rate increased to 3.8% in August from 3.5% in July.

In Central Oregon, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rates saw little to no change over the month of August. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in both Deschutes County (3.7%) and Jefferson County (4.5%) remained unchanged from July to August, while Crook County saw a slight increase in its seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, going from 5.3% in July to 5.4% in August.

Topic of the Month: The Highest and Lowest Paid Occupation Groups in 2023

Last month, the Oregon Employment Department released 2023 occupational wages, so naturally, this month, we look at the highest and lowest-paid occupation groups by median hourly wage. Like last year, the top five highest-paying occupation groups in Central Oregon tended towards white collar occupations, while those paying the least tended to be blue collar occupations. Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations have the highest median hourly wage at $51.62, while food preparation and serving related occupations pay the lowest median hourly wage ($15.06) of any occupation group—a difference of $36.56 per hour. That said, the median hourly wage within these occupational groups can differ substantially. For example, within the food preparation and serving related occupational group, chefs and head cooks get paid a median hourly wage of $24.34, while food preparation and serving related workers get paid a median hourly wage of $13.91—a difference of $10.43 per hour. For more wage information on managers and other occupations and occupation groups in Central Oregon, you can download the wage file here.