How many jobs were lost in Oregon last month?
Refreshed monthly
Oregon lost 800 jobs in August 2026, ranking it 38th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 1,200 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-800
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
38th
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
August 2026’s loss of 800 jobs was the second consecutive month of negative job growth in Oregon. Monthly job growth was up from the 1,800 lost jobs in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), Oregon gained jobs in 33 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the 19th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in July 2022 (+24,700) while job growth was weakest in January 2024 (-11,400).
There were 800 fewer jobs in August 2026 in Oregon than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Oregon sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in August 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in August 2026 were construction, durable goods, and retail trade. Construction added 700 jobs, more than the entire economy. Durable goods gained 700 jobs, while retail trade added 500 jobs. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were professional, scientific, and technical services, accommodation and food services, and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services. Professional, scientific, and technical services lost 700 jobs in August 2026, while accommodation and food services lost 500 jobs and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services lost 500 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 200 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Oregon (August 2026)
How has Oregon's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Oregon lost an average of 1,900 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 525, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as fourth-lowest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 6,600 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 5,000 on average every month in 2015.
In 2025, Oregon lost an average of 1,900 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among eight metro areas primarily in Oregon during August 2026 ranged from a loss of 2,600 jobs in the Portland, OR area to a gain of 700 jobs in the Eugene, OR area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Oregon
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +700 | |
| 2. | +300 | |
| 3. | +200 | |
| 4. | +0 | |
| 5. | -100 | |
| 6. | -100 | |
| 7. | -200 | |
| 8. | -2,600 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
