Department of Numbers

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon Job Growth

There were 1,019,300 jobs in Portland, Oregon in April 2013 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 1,081,962 employed persons for the month. Portland added 4,200 jobs in April 2013 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 1,496 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Portland job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey April 2013 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 1,019,300 +4,200 +13,800
CPS 1,081,962 +1,496 -10,539

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Portland, Oregon Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Portland as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Portland, Oregon

CES employment for Portland peaked in February 2008 at 1,043,200. Since then 23,900 jobs have been lost in Portland according to the employer survey. From a trough of 961,100 in January 2010, Portland has gained 58,200 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 1,104,175 for Portland in July 2008. 22,213 jobs have been lost in Portland since then according to the household survey. From a November 2009 low of 1,043,349, Portland has added 38,613 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through April 2013

Portland, Oregon Employment History

Date CES
Employment 		CES
Month/Month 		CPS
Employment 		CPS
Month/Month
April 2013 1,019,300 4,200 1,081,962 1,496
March 2013 1,015,100 3,300 1,080,466 -546
February 2013 1,011,800 2,100 1,081,012 -2,328
January 2013 1,009,700 4,100 1,083,340 -4,166
December 2012 1,005,600 -800 1,087,506 -323
November 2012 1,006,400 -1,900 1,087,829 -409
October 2012 1,008,300 -1,900 1,088,238 -335
September 2012 1,010,200 600 1,088,573 -369
August 2012 1,009,600 1,100 1,088,942 -621
July 2012 1,008,500 900 1,089,563 -974
June 2012 1,007,600 1,200 1,090,537 -1,070
May 2012 1,006,400 900 1,091,607 -894
April 2012 1,005,500 2,000 1,092,501 -240

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