Department of Numbers

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon Job Growth

There were 979,200 jobs in Portland, Oregon in December 2011 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 1,095,174 employed persons for the month. Portland added 1,600 jobs in December 2011 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 2,332 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Portland job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey December 2011 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 979,200 +1,600 +14,200
CPS 1,095,174 +2,332 +24,539

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 chart below shows the monthly job growth for Portland as measured by the CES survey. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green. The CPS data is not shown since it is not seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level.

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 1,043,400. Since then 64,200 jobs have been lost in Portland according to the employer survey. From a trough of 959,800 in November 2009, Portland has gained 19,400 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 1,104,729 for Portland in June 2008. 9,555 jobs have been lost in Portland since then according to the household survey. From a November 2009 low of 1,049,175, Portland has added 45,999 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through December 2011

Portland, Oregon Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
December 2011 979,200 1,600 1,095,174 2,332
November 2011 977,600 -400 1,092,842 2,630
October 2011 978,000 100 1,090,212 1,811
September 2011 977,900 1,000 1,088,401 707
August 2011 976,900 2,100 1,087,694 1,137
July 2011 974,800 -200 1,086,557 -570
June 2011 975,000 -500 1,087,127 545
May 2011 975,500 -2,700 1,086,582 2,471
April 2011 978,200 4,300 1,084,111 4,049
March 2011 973,900 -800 1,080,062 4,719
February 2011 974,700 2,600 1,075,343 3,293
January 2011 972,100 7,100 1,072,050 1,415
December 2010 965,000 -1,000 1,070,635 836