How many jobs were added in Oregon last month?
Refreshed monthly
Oregon gained 3,600 jobs in May 2026, ranking it 16th 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 1,700 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+3.6K
month to month change in number of jobs (May 2026)
16th
rank among states in monthly job growth (May 2026)
May 2026's gain of 3,600 jobs was the second consecutive month of positive job growth in Oregon. Monthly job growth was up from the 600 new jobs in April 2026.
During the latest five year period (June 2021 to May 2026), Oregon gained jobs in 34 out of 60 months. May 2026 had the 15th-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in July 2021 (+29,500) while job growth was weakest in January 2024 (-11,400).
There were 3,600 more jobs in May 2026 in Oregon than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, June 2021–May 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Oregon sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in May 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in May 2026 were professional, scientific, and technical services, other services, and finance and insurance. Professional, scientific, and technical services added 2,700 jobs, more than the entire economy. Other services gained 2,000 jobs, while finance and insurance added 400. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 300 jobs during May 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Oregon (May 2026)
How does Oregon's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?
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 May 2026 ranged from a loss of 1,800 jobs in the Portland, OR area to a gain of 400 jobs in the Salem, OR area metro 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. | +400 | |
| 2. | +100 | |
| 3. | +100 | |
| 4. | +0 | |
| 5. | +0 | |
| 6. | -100 | |
| 7. | -400 | |
| 8. | -1,800 |
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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.
