July 21, 2026
What happened: Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released year-over-year employment data for all 50 states. During the period covered, June 2025 to June 2026, Oregon remained among the weakest performing states with employment shrinking by 0.9%. Only Montana saw a steeper decline, losing 1%, while Virginia tied Oregon at -0.9%. Unlike Oregon, however, Virginia has been affected disproportionately by the loss of federal jobs in recent months. Overall, Oregon lost roughly 18,500 jobs between June 2025 and June 2026.
Industry sectors: Oregon lost jobs in almost every high-level industry sector tracked by the BLS (go here for definitions). The state’s percentage losses were among the nation’s 10 steepest in five sectors (see chart above). Losses were particularly steep in manufacturing, with only Nebraska losing a greater percentage of jobs; and professional & business services, with only two states losing a greater percentage. In no sectors was Oregon among the 10 strongest performing states.
Why it matters: The value of jobs is self-evident. Additionally, creating living wage jobs is one of the three strategic goals outlined by Gov. Kotek’s Prosperity Roadmap, released in late 2025. To that end, the roadmap claims, “Oregon will foster the conditions necessary to generate meaningful employment across all communities – urban, rural, and underserved.” The data released today underscore how urgently policymakers must act to create those conditions.
CNBC ranking falls: Providing more evidence of Oregon’s failure to create conditions necessary to generate meaningful employment is the July 10 release of CNBC’s annual America’s Top States for Business rankings, which saw Oregon drop to an all-time-low 42nd place. The state has dropped 25 places since 2017, when it was ranked 17th. Gov. Kotek included improvement in multiple CNBC rankings in her Prosperity Roadmap. Read OBI’s response to this year’s CNBC rankings here.
What about last month? Check out Oregon’s employment numbers for the May year-over-year period in the July 1 edition of OBI’s free Oregon Business Insider newsletter here. Monthly employment performance is now a standard feature of Oregon Business Insider. Go here to subscribe.