Jan. 26, 2026
The Oregon Business and Industry Foundation today released the 2026 Oregon Competitiveness Book, a collection of data and rankings covering dozens of topics that shed light on Oregon’s economic health and competitive position. The Oregon Competitiveness Book, now in its third year, serves as a companion to the Oregon Scorecard, OBI’s online collection of economic data. The Oregon Competitiveness Book can be viewed and downloaded on the home page of the Oregon Scorecard.
Like the Oregon Scorecard, the Oregon Competitiveness Book illustrates Oregon’s continuing competitive struggles. While Oregon has improved in some areas since the release of the 2025 Oregon Competitiveness Book – exports per capita jumped to 6th in 2024 from 9th in 2023 – the overall picture is worrisome. In too many important areas, Oregon is failing to keep pace with the rest of the country:
- Oregon in 2025 fell 11 places in CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business rankings and now sits 39th overall. As recently as 2017, Oregon ranked 17th overall.
- Oregon’s nonagricultural employment growth rate between August 2024 and August 2025 remained below the national average and below the national median.
- Oregon’s population continues to stagnate. Between July 2023 and July 2024, only eight states grew at a slower rate than Oregon.
- Oregon’s GDP growth rate in 2024 trailed the national average and fell below the national median.
- Oregon’s rank for state and local taxes per $1,000 in personal income climbed from 16th in 2022 to 8th in 2023.
Improving Oregon’s business climate and its economy will require sustained focus and effort by the governor, the Legislature and Oregon’s business community. OBI and the OBI Research and Education Foundation will continue to track the state’s progress using relevant data and rankings.