Workforce

Central Oregon Workforce and job creation Summary

Central Oregon is an attractive place to do business and has consistently led Oregon in terms of job creation. Employment growth has nearly matched incredible population growth, placing the region among the fastest growing small metro areas in the country. 

central oregon businesses are small, entrepreneurial

The nature of businesses in Central Oregon can best be characterized as small and entrepreneurial.  Of the estimated 10,182 business establishments in Central Oregon in 2008, 6,646 -- or 65% -- have four employees or less. 

2008 Business Establishments by Employee Size
	Deschutes County	Crook County	Jefferson County
Workforce	80,035	7,291	6,162
# Establishments	8,675	829	678
1 - 4 Employees	65.3%	66.3%	63.6%
5 - 9 Employees	17.1%	18.3%	17.8%
10 - 19 Employees	9.1%	7.7%	10.2%
20 - 49 Employees	5.6%	5.5%	6.2%
50 - 99 Employees	1.9%	1.1%	1.5%
100+ Employees	0.9%	0.9%	0.7%

Source: Oregon Prospector; Applied Geographic Solutions

Worked Outside City of Residence
County	2000	% of Total
Bend	4,641	18%
Madras	1,187	57%
Prineville	950	34%
Redmond	3,284	52%
Oregon	628,411	39%

Worked Outside County of Residence
County	2000	% of Total
Crook	1,518	19%
Deschutes	2,518	5%
Jefferson	1,899	24%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Redmond is in the “geographic center” of Central Oregon and the fastest growing city in the state. The driving time map below shows that all commutes are 30 minutes or less from this central point. The furthest points, for example Bend to Madras, are within forty-five minutes to one hour’s drive.

Driving from Redmond to...
...City	Miles	Drive Time
Sisters	19.5	24 minutes
Bend	16.7	22 minutes
La Pine	46.0	52 minutes
Madras	26.0	30 minutes
Prineville	19.5	27 minutes

Source: Mapquest.com

The following is a comparative list of hourly rates for specific job titles for Central Oregon in relation to state-wide averages for Oregon, Washington and California. Labor costs are much more favorable in Central Oregon. Furthermore, a more in-depth analysis of overall labor trends reveals that Central Oregon has much less employee turnover than state-wide or regional averages. As a result, the wage statistics are skewed upward in Central Oregon due to the greater length of tenure, experience and worker loyalty levels in the community. 

Comparison of Average Hourly Wages (2007) for Select Occupations
	Central Oregon	Oregon	California	Washington
TRADE
Truck Driver, Heavy	$17.37	$16.49	$18.05	$17.76
Secretary	$14.04	$13.82	$15.41	$15.87
Receptionist	$11.44	$12.01	$11.88	$11.35
Customer Service Representative	$12.68	$13.64	$15.29	$14.62
COMPUTER & TECHNICAL
Network Systems Administrator	$22.87	$28.53	$33.77	$31.85
Computer Support Specialist	$16.41	$19.98	$22.42	$22.04
Database Administrator	$33.51	$33.04	$34.94	$35.12
PROFESSIONAL
Marketing Manager	$37.52	$39.66	$55.59	$54.00
Sales Manager	$34.67	$44.16	$50.07	$53.20
Industrial Production Manager	$32.13	$36.69	$39.49	$41.53
General & Operations Manager	$34.66	$39.66	$48.06	$51.89

Sources: Oregon Employment Department for Central Oregon and Oregon (2007 data);
Bureau of Labor Statistics for California & Washington (2006 data)

Demographics of central Oregon workforce

Overall, Oregon citizens are better educated than the U.S. average. Central Oregon has one of the highest numbers of high school graduates compared to other areas in the state and nation. Although not a direct correlation, we can look at the educational attainment of tri county residents who are 25 and older (not all are in the workforce). In the Tri-County area, Deschutes County has the highest educational attainment, with over 65% of residents having some college or more; Jefferson County follows at 45% and Crook County at nearly 42%. Over one quarter of all Deschutes County residents have earned a Bachelors or Graduate level degree. 

2008 Educational Attainment
	Deschutes County	Crook County	Jefferson County
Population Age 25+	112,006	16,570	14,159
< Grade 9	1.7%	6.3%	9.6%
Grade 9 - 12	5.2%	12.3%	12.0%
High School	27.7%	39.6%	33.0%
Some College	26.9%	22.9%	25.4%
Associates Degree	11.3%	6.1%	5.8%
Bachelors Degree	17.6%	8.2%	9.6%
Graduate Degree	9.6%	4.6%	4.6%

Source: Oregon Prospector, Applied Geographic Solutions

Central Oregon is focused on further developing its workforce capacity. The region boasts an Applied Technology Center in Redmond (a division of Central Oregon Community College) and a branch campus of Oregon State University that offers four-year and graduate degrees locally.

In-migration during the 1990's has not only brought more people but also a greater diversity of people to Central Oregon. This trend will continue as new, innovative businesses attract workers of all skill, education, age, race and ethnic backgrounds away from crowded metropolitan areas to this family friendly region. You can see from the chart below that Jefferson County, home to Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, has the most significant American Indian population, as well as the largest Hispanic population, due to its agricultural base. 

2008 Race Distribution in Central Oregon Counties
	Deschutes County	Crook County	Jefferson County
White	94.7%	93.0%	68.9%
Black	0.0%	0.0%	0.3%
American Indian	1.1%	1.3%	16.0%
Asian	1.0%	0.4%	0.3%
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.0%	0.3%
Other	1.2%	3.7%	10.9%
Multirace	1.8%	1.4%	3.3%
Hispanic	5.8%	7.1%	19.8%

Source: Oregon Prospector, Applied Geographic Solutions