About Oregon Business Insider, OBI’s Free Newsletter
Oregon Business Insider, a free monthly newsletter created by Oregon Business & Industry (OBI), appears on the first Wednesday of every month.
Oregon Business Insider is intended for anyone who’s interested in Oregon’s business environment. You do not need to be an OBI member to receive Oregon Business Insider.
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The Month that Was: Three Things that Happened in August
Occupational licensing index: On Aug. 19, the Archbridge Institute released its 2026 State Occupational Licensing Index, which ranks states according to their occupational licensing burdens. For the second year in a row, Oregon topped the ranking, meaning that the state’s licensing burden is the nation’s greatest. Read more here.
Quarterly revenue forecast: On Aug. 26, the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis released the economic and revenue forecast for the third quarter of 2026. The report increased predicted state revenue for both the current (2025-27) and coming (2027-29) biennia, though the state’s economy continues to grow more slowly than the national average. If predictions hold, revenue will grow by more than 18% (about $7 billion) during the 2027-29 biennium. Read the full document here.
Economic growth study: In 2025, Oregon’s economy grew at only 1%, half the national rate of 2.1%. In fact, Oregon’s economy has grown at a slower rate than the national economy for every year since 2020, the longest such streak since at least 2000. On Aug. 5, Common Sense Institute Oregon released a report that quantifies the consequences of this growth gap. If Oregon’s economy had grown at 2% rather than 1% in 2025, the report estimates, the state could be expected to have 12,000 more jobs, $879 million more in wages and $88 million more in personal income tax revenue.
The Month Ahead: Three Things to Watch in September
Legislative committee days: The state Legislature will hold legislative committee days from Sept. 8-10. During this time, legislative committees will hold informational hearings involving invited testimony about topics that could produce legislation during the 2027 session.
Oregon Competitiveness Agenda: In late September, OBI plans to release the Oregon Competitiveness Agenda covering 2027-29. The agenda, as its name suggests, assesses Oregon’s economic competitiveness relative to other states and recommends policy changes that would improve the state’s standing. It’s no secret that Oregon’s competitiveness has slipped dramatically in recent years as tax policy and regulatory changes have pushed business investment to other states – and as other states have taken meaningful steps to improve their competitiveness. You can read OBI’s current Oregon Competitiveness Agenda, which covers 2025-26, here.
Coolest Thing voting begins: On Sept. 15, OBI will release the 16 finalists in this year’s Coolest Thing Made in Oregon contest, and voting will begin. The bracket-style competition will cut the list of competitors in half every week, and the winner will be announced Oct. 28 during OBI’s annual Vision Oregon Event. Learn more about the contest (including how to vote) here.
Monthly Year-Over-Year Employment Snapshot
What happened: On Aug. 21, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released year-over-year employment data for all 50 states. During the period covered, July 2025 to July 2026, Oregon remained among the weakest performing states with employment shrinking by 0.9%. Only Montana and Virginia saw steeper declines, both experiencing a 1.1% drop in employment. Overall, Oregon lost roughly 18,000 jobs between July 2025 and July 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 six sectors (see chart above). Losses were particularly steep in manufacturing, with only Delaware and Nebraska losing a greater percentage of jobs. Meanwhile, Oregon finished among the top 10 states in growth tied to education and health services jobs.
Spotlight: Oregon’s CNBC Ranking Strengths
Oregon’s Best CNBC Categories: In July, CNBC released its annual America’s Top States for Business rankings. Oregon slid to 42nd overall, its lowest ranking in the 20-year history of the index. Nevertheless, the state did fare well in some of the 10 categories CNBC uses to determine its overall score. To improve Oregon’s competitiveness, policymakers must address areas of weakness, of course. But they also must work to maintain the state’s competitive advantages, including those responsible for Oregon’s top-20 rankings for infrastructure and technology and innovation.
Infrastructure: This was the most heavily weighted category in CNBC’s 2026 rankings and also the one in which Oregon fared the best (17th). As its title suggests, this category does reflect what CNBC calls “the vitality of each state’s infrastructure system,” which includes the condition of roads and bridges as well as the value of goods shipped by air, water, roads and rail. But that’s far from all. It also includes the cost and reliability of electrical power. It includes broadband connectivity, large-scale computing power, site-readiness programs and the supply of “shovel-ready” sites. Because businesses “are clamoring to build facilities and take advantage of strong demand,” CNBC writes, “we are measuring the speed at which states are approving permits for things like new construction.”
Technology and innovation: CNBC has given Oregon high marks in this category consistently over the years, and the state ranked 18th in 2026. The ranking, CNBC writes, rewards states that have the resources to support innovation. CNBC considers patents issued per capita as well as federal health, science and agricultural research grants. “With domestic semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing taking center stage,” CNBC writes, “[w]e measure each state’s role in the artificial intelligence revolution in terms of where new AI models are being developed and where the AI jobs are, and we measure each state’s advanced computing power.”
Learn more: Go here for more information about CNBC’s ranking methodology and the sources CNBC uses to develop its rankings.
Oregon Business Matters Talks with State Director of Arts and Culture Amy Lewin
Oregon Business Matters is OBI’s biweekly podcast. It features interviews with state business and political leaders, economists, academics, pollsters – all with a focus on issues that matter to Oregon’s businesses.
This month’s featured episode is an interview with Amy Lewin, who in late 2025 became director of arts and culture at the Oregon Arts Commission and the Oregon Cultural Trust. Both of these entities are overseen by Business Oregon, the state’s business development department. In this episode, Amy talks with Oregon Business Matters about the important work the arts commission and cultural trust do, what she’s learned during her first year on the job, the relationship between business and the arts, and what might lie ahead.
Listen to our interview with Amy here.
Arts awards and summit: To recognize the cultural contributions of businesses, organizations and individuals, consider submitting a nomination for the 2026 Arts & Culture Awards before Sept. 4. The awards, presented by the Oregon Cultural Trust, cover seven categories, including Business of the Year, which recognizes a for-profit business that has demonstrated consistent and significant support for arts and culture. Winners will be honored on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at the Arts and Culture Awards Celebration, which will take place the Oregon Convention Center. Go here to learn more about the awards ceremony.
Creative economy survey: The Oregon Cultural Trust and Oregon Arts Commission also are conducting a survey to learn more about Oregon’s creative economy. The survey will inform a report the trust and commission are developing in conjunction with ECOnorthwest. The report will attempt to define and quantify Oregon’s creative sector, highlight its economic contributions and provide a foundation for future assessments. Go here to take the survey.
In case you missed it, check out our recent interview with Travel Medford Director of Sports Development Darren Van Lehn. Links to this and other interviews can be found on the Oregon Business Matters website.
You can also subscribe to the Oregon Business Matters podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
Opportunities to Engage
If you would like timely opportunities to engage in the political process, please consider signing up with the Oregon Prosperity Initiative. Participation will allow you to send comment letters to key legislators and policymakers in support of policies that would improve Oregon’s economic competitiveness – and in opposition to policies that would erode it. It’s an easy way to help improve Oregon’s business climate.
About Oregon Business & Industry
OBI is Oregon’s statewide chamber of commerce and also Oregon’s affiliate for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and the National Retail Federation. OBI works tirelessly as the voice of business in Salem, pursuing policies necessary to support a prosperous private sector.
OBI members enjoy many benefits, including opportunities to participate in OBI’s policy-setting committees, participation in OBI events, regular communications about key public policy developments, and access to cost-saving programs, including:
HealthChoice: Helps businesses with fewer than 100 employees offer comprehensive health-care benefits through our partnership with Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.
Partners Retirement Plan: Allows multiple employers to offer a 401(k) benefit to employees through a group structure while maintaining individual company design and control over the benefit – such as eligibility, employer match, and vesting.
CompSAFE: Helps eligible companies enjoy workers’ compensation discounts through SAIF Corporation.
Fuel Program: Helps members save fuel costs through our partnership with Ed Staub & Sons.
LegalPLUS: OBI members receive 15 minutes of free legal consulting per month from Innova Legal Advisors.
Go here to learn more about OBI, here to learn more about OBI’s member benefits and here to talk with OBI about becoming a member.