Home buyers looking to relocate to Oregon often ask me this question. What you need to know is that Oregon consistently ranks at the top for unemployment. The reason is pretty basic, in my opinion…

Up until the 1980’s logging was a huge industry in Oregon and made up a good chunk of our manufacturing/industrial base jobs. The logging industry collapsed in the 1980’s and Oregon has not replaced that industry with another one.

Oregon has really strict zoning laws and that coupled with high minimum wage requirement makes it difficult for large manufacturing companies to locate here. We are just not as profitable as some other states are for large companies due to our minimum wage requirement.

With the population of Oregon continuing to grow, and no industrial base…unemployment remains high in comparison to other states.

What this means for those that are looking to relocate here…make sure you have a job lined up first prior to your move. There is a lot of competition for good jobs out here.