State of Oregon Employment Trends

The Workforce and Economic Research Division offers accurate, reliable, and current insights into Oregon’s state and local labor markets. This information is presented in an accessible and easy-to-understand format for a wide range of users. Click here to view the employment trends.

Lane County Employment

2024 State of the Workforce Report Lane County Employment Growth Highlights

The private education and health care sector is projected to add the most jobs, gaining 4,400 jobs (16% growth) over the 10-year period. Most of the growth in this sector is from health care and social assistance (4,100 jobs) and is attributed to the aging of the state’s population, longer life expectancies, and a rebound in population growth. Health care along will account for nearly one out of four new jobs created by 2030.

Leisure and hospitality, which is especially important to Lane County’s coastal area, is expected to add the second-largest number of jobs (2,600). Its relatively fast growth (15%) is driven by structural growth and partly by a rebound from the COVID-19 recession as conditions continue to improve for restaurants, hotels, and the arts and recreational establishments. Leisure and hospitality lost 3,900 jobs between 2019 and 2020. By 2023, it was still down 700 jobs.

Information (15%) and construction (14%) are smaller industries that are expected to grow faster than total employment from 2022 to 2032.

Trade, transportation, and utilities is a large industry sector that is projected to grow by 1,700 jobs (6%) due to wholesale trade and demand for transportation services as more people shop online and need products delivered.

Local government adds 1,500 jobs, largely in education including the addition of the Knight Science Campus at the University of Oregon.

Manufacturing will grow by 1,100 jobs. Durable goods manufacturing grows in part from growth at Stratacache, a micro-LED manufacturer. Nondurable goods manufacturing grows, largely from food and beverage manufacturing.

Professional and business services is a large sector expected to add 2,100 jobs, or 12% over the 10-year period. Architectural and engineering services, which are tied to expected construction growth, contribute to some of the growth. Additional growth is added by computer and systems design through demand for cybersecurity and telecommuting. These gains will be countered somewhat by losses in business services, especially call centers.

Click here to access the full report.

Additional Resources:

Labor Force Demographics

Lane County Overview

Lane County, Oregon, is the state’s fourth most populous county and ranks third in its metropolitan statistical area, following Portland and Salem. With a population of 382,647, the majority live in the Eugene and Springfield urban area. Sixty percent reside in cities within a 30-mile radius of Eugene, primarily along Interstate 5. The rest are spread across rural areas, including the Florence-Dunes City corridor on the coast and the Oakridge area in the Cascade foothills.

Refer to the 2024 State of the Workforce Report for labor force demographics for Lane County.

Labor Market Resources

U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. Census Bureau provides data from various surveys, including the American Community Survey, Economic Census, and Population Estimates Program.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes. Key data sources include:

ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Report

Focuses on households that earn about the Federal Poverty Level but below the cost of living. Highlights struggles as wages lag behind essential costs.

ALICE is an acronym for asset limited, income constrained, employed – households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level but less than the basic cost of living for the county (the ALICE Threshold). While conditions have improved for some households, many continue to struggle, especially as wages fail to keep pace with the cost of household essentials (housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and a basic smartphone plan.

City-Data.com and MyMove.com/cities

  • City-Data.com: Aggregates public records, real estate trends, demographic data, and more.
  • MyMove.com: Compares cost of living and salaries between cities, with additional resources for those considering relocation.

Cluster Mapping

Cluster Mapping is used by officials and businesses to understand and shape the competitive landscape for various industries.

Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Index is compiled by the Council for Community and Economic Research, this index compares the cost of living among urban areas, widely used by economists and corporations.