Unemployment in Oregon, by MSA (6/2012) (Portland, Eugene: home, find a job, university)

[PNW-type-gal]

We frequently have threads in which people ask about jobs in an area - here is a ranking of unemployment* in US metropolitan areas by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dated June 2012. There are 372 metro areas on the list. You can check the list for your own area and that will give you a general idea of what unemployment here is like compared to where you are now.

Unemployment Rates for Metropolitan Areas

(the higher the ranking number, the higher the unemployment %. I've added a bit of geographical info after the metro area to help locate it for those new to the state)

66 - Corvallis, Oregon; 6.4% (mid-Willamette Valley, home of the Oregon State University)
184 - Portland, Oregon; 8.0% (Oregon's largest city, northern Willamette Valley)
212 - Eugene-Springfield; 8.5% (southern end of the Willamette Valley, home of the University of Oregon)
259 - Salem Oregon; 9.1% (mid-Willamette Valley, Oregon's capital city)
329 - Bend Oregon; 10.5% (Central Oregon, on the east side of the Cascade Mountains)
335 - Medford, Oregon; 10.7% (Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon)

Keep in mind that Corvallis and Eugene are college towns where the college students make up a very large percentage of the population and that skews the stats a bit. Smaller towns not listed generally have higher unemployment numbers than the larger MSAs.





*(Remember that this is the U3 unemployment rate, which does NOT count long-term discouraged, those who are underemployed, or those only working part-time, so it's the lowest percentage of the 6 classes of unemployment. The highest class of unemployment, the U6, is almost double the U3)

[Steve Pickering]

That says it all. Any more dreamers going to quit their jobs and run to Oregon?

[Silverfall]

Bend is only 10.5%? I would have thought it was higher as I think their MSA covers all of Deschutes. I know the Salem MSA is Marion and Polk counties together.

[5thgenSF]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

We frequently have threads in which people ask about jobs in an area - here is a ranking of unemployment* in US metropolitan areas by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dated June 2012. There are 372 metro areas on the list. You can check the list for your own area and that will give you a general idea of what unemployment here is like compared to where you are now.

Unemployment Rates for Metropolitan Areas

(the higher the ranking number, the higher the unemployment %. I've added a bit of geographical info after the metro area to help locate it for those new to the state)

66 - Corvallis, Oregon; 6.4% (mid-Willamette Valley, home of the Oregon State University)
184 - Portland, Oregon; 8.0% (Oregon's largest city, northern Willamette Valley)
212 - Eugene-Springfield; 8.5% (southern end of the Willamette Valley, home of the University of Oregon)
259 - Salem Oregon; 9.1% (mid-Willamette Valley, Oregon's capital city)
329 - Bend Oregon; 10.5% (Central Oregon, on the east side of the Cascade Mountains)
335 - Medford, Oregon; 10.7% (Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon)

Keep in mind that Corvallis and Eugene are college towns where the college students make up a very large percentage of the population and that skews the stats a bit. Smaller towns not listed generally have higher unemployment numbers than the larger MSAs.





*(Remember that this is the U3 unemployment rate, which does NOT count long-term discouraged, those who are underemployed, or those only working part-time, so it's the lowest percentage of the 6 classes of unemployment. The highest class of unemployment, the U6, is almost double the U3)

thank you for that list. makes sense that i couldn't find anything living here:
356 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 12.6

and now am barely above that here!

335 - Medford, Oregon; 10.7% (Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon)

i'm surprised albuquerque is so low. thought it was bad there now.

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

That says it all. Any more dreamers going to quit their jobs and run to Oregon?

no, i'm gonna quit my job and run OUT of oregon!

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by 5thgenSF

thank you for that list. makes sense that i couldn't find anything living here:
356 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 12.6

and now am barely above that here!

335 - Medford, Oregon; 10.7% (Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon)

As Silverfall pointed out, it depends on how large an area an MSA covers. Within the city limits of Medford, the unemployment number is likely lower than that of the entire MSA, which includes the surrounding smaller communities, many of which were timber/resource-based and have had chronically high unemployment for decades.

[jjpop]

Wow. California's Central Valley, from Redding down to Bakersfield, is a mess!

What is it, though, about university towns that set them apart? They seem to generally have lower unemployment rates. Not talking about cities which have a university district (like Eugene), but rather towns that are built around the university, like Corvallis (Lawrence, KS, State College, PA, College Station, TX).

[PNW-type-gal]

This is also not seasonally adjusted data, so take the numbers as ballpark and not absolute.

Originally Posted by jjpop

Wow. California's Central Valley, from Redding down to Bakersfield, is a mess!

What is it, though, about university towns that set them apart? They seem to generally have lower unemployment rates. Not talking about cities which have a university district (like Eugene), but rather towns that are built around the university, like Corvallis (Lawrence, KS, State College, PA, College Station, TX).

Because the unemployment rate only counts those actively looking for work (and generally full-time work at that) - most students aren't looking for full-time work.

Parts of the San Joaquin/Sacramento Valley had HUGE population spikes as the housing boom bubbled its way to the top over a decade or so - cities like Stockton and Modesto were being pushed as "bedroom communities" for the Bay area (despite the insane commute in). The housing boom pushed the jobs boom and when housing collapsed there was nothing left - these are generally agriculture-based communities.

Pretty similar to what happened in a lot of the smaller Oregon communities as they had mini-booms as retirement/second home towns. Klamath Falls, for instance, had 20 years of unemployment around 10% because of the timber cut-backs, but during the 2000s, it actually dropped to around 5.75%. It's back around 11.1% now (from a high of 15.5% in 2009) and there is much hand-wringing about how to get it down, but it's more that the housing bubble pushed it unusually low than that the rate is now unusually high.

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

Because the unemployment rate only counts those actively looking for work (and generally full-time work at that).

I think that makes sense. For example, if 15,000 of Corvallis's 50,000 residents are students not looking for full-time work, then that effectively reduces the working population to 35,000 folks. At 6.4% unemployment, that means that about 2200 people are unemployed and actively looking.

Even with that number, though, it's hard for me to imagine what 2200 people would do to find a job in Corvallis. There's just not that much going on there. I think a lot of people were like me--you look for a while and then leave town when you can't find work.

[5thgenSF]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

As Silverfall pointed out, it depends on how large an area an MSA covers. Within the city limits of Medford, the unemployment number is likely lower than that of the entire MSA, which includes the surrounding smaller communities, many of which were timber/resource-based and have had chronically high unemployment for decades.

this is probably more likely:
Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site


The unemployment rate in Roseburg, OR, is 14.00%, with job growth of -1.26%. Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 23.48%.

Roseburg, OR,sales tax rate is 0.00%. Income tax is 9.00%.

Roseburg, OR Income and Salaries

The income per capita is $20,611, which includes all adults and children. The median household income is $37,040.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by 5thgenSF

Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 23.48%.

Gotta love projections like that. What are they based on? An entire new industry magically moving into town?