Here Are The 10 Best Counties In Oregon To Find A Job

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oregon’s unemployment rate has been steadily dropping since it spiked in 2009. That being said, many Oregonians are still having a hard time finding jobs. Have you ever wondered which counties in Oregon are the best for people seeking a job? There’s no perfect science to ranking counties based on the availability of jobs, but in 2013, Nerd Wallet published a list of the best places in Oregon for job seekers based on economic and employment statistics. Here is their breakdown of how they ranked each county:

“1. Is the county growing? We assessed growth in the working-age population, ages 16 and older, from 2009 to 2011 to ensure that the county was attracting workers and exhibiting a trend of upward population growth.
2. Can you afford to live in the county comfortably? We measured a county’s median household income to see if workers made a good living. We also analyzed the monthly homeowner costs, including mortgage payments, to see if the county had a reasonable cost of living.
3. Are most people employed? We looked at the unemployment rate.”

Without further ado, here are the top ten counties in Oregon for finding a job, ranked by Nerd Wallet.

Flickr/ Jimmy Emerson, DVM

Working age population change: 1.4% / Median household income: $41,400 / Monthly Homeowner Costs: $1,321 / Unemployment Rate: 6.3% / Overall Score: 52.5 / Some Major Employers: Fred Meyer, Tillamook Regional Medical Center, and Tillamook County Creamery Association.

Flickr/ Ron Sipherd

Working age population change: 1.6% / Median household income: $56,270 / Monthly Homeowner Costs: $1,468 / Unemployment Rate: 7.5% / Overall Score: 53.4 / Some Major Employers: Fred Meyer, Armstrong World Industries and Boise Cascade.

Flickr/ Ken Lund

Working age population change: 3.8% / Median household income: $40,974 / Monthly Homeowner Costs: $1,138 / Unemployment Rate: 7.3% / Overall Score: 56.0 / Some Major Employers: Grande Ronde Hospital, Eastern Oregon University and Union Pacific Railroad.

Flickr/ Roger

Working age population change: 4.5% / Median household income: $50,726 / Monthly Homeowner Costs: $1,753 / Unemployment Rate: 6.5% / Overall Score: 56.2 / Some Major Employers: Intel, Providence Health & Services and Oregon Health and Science University.

Flickr/ Doug Kerr

Working age population change: 2.9% / Median household income: $53,819 / Monthly Homeowner Costs: $1,627 / Unemployment Rate: 6.6% / Overall Score: 56.3 / Some Major Employers: A-dec, George Fox University and Cascade Steel Rolling Mills.

Flickr/ Cindy Mc

Working age population change: 1.7% / Median household income: $63,814 / Monthly Homeowner Costs: $1,875 / Unemployment Rate: 5.9% / Overall Score: 58.9 / Some Major Employers: Intel, Nike, Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and Columbia Sportswear.

Flickr/ J. Stephen Conn

Working age population change: 3.4% / Median household income: $45,911 / Monthly Homeowner Costs: $1,177 / Unemployment Rate: 6.5% / Overall Score: 61.6 / Some Major Employers: Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Keystone RV.

Flickr/ C Hanchey

Working age population change: 5.9% / Median household income: $42,742 / Monthly Homeowner Costs: $1,284 / Unemployment Rate: 6.6% / Overall Score: 63.4 / Some Major Employers: Mid-Columbia Medical Center, Oregon Cherry Growers and Google.

Flickr/ Tom Brandt

Working age population change: 5.8% / Median household income: $47,716 / Monthly Homeowner Costs: $1,640 / Unemployment Rate: 5.1% / Overall Score: 66.8 / Some Major Employers: Oregon State University, Samaritan Health Services and Hewlett-Packard.

Flickr/ Sam Beebe

Working age population change: 4.3% / Median household income: $54,109 / Monthly Homeowner Costs: $1,798 / Unemployment Rate: 4.6% / Overall Score: 67.1 / Some Major Employers: Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital, Cardinal Glass Industries and Diamond Fruit Growers.

I was personally a bit surprised by some of these statistics; did the ranking surprise you? Did your county make the list? Share your thoughts in the comments.