Oregon High-Tech Jobs Fall From 2023 Peak Despite Decade of Growth
Oregon high-tech employment increased 14% overall between 2015 and 2025, driven by a 32% rise in high-tech services despite a 4% decline in manufacturing.
However, employment in the sector dropped 8% from a 2023 peak, shedding 7,700 jobs leading into 2025.
Oregon Loses 7,700 Jobs
Recent data indicates that Oregon had 95,440 core high-tech jobs in 2025, up 14% from 2015, but this employment peaked at 103,200 jobs in 2023, before falling by 7,700 over two years. High-tech services now represent 59% of Oregon’s high-tech employment, up from 51% in 2015.
Over the decade, growth came from services, while manufacturing lost jobs.
- High-tech services added 13,500 jobs
- High-tech manufacturing lost 1,600 jobs
Semiconductor manufacturing remained the largest high-tech industry with 28,338 jobs and nearly $4.9 billion in payroll.
| Industry | Jobs | Avg. wage |
|---|---|---|
| Semiconductors | 28,338 | $173,152 |
| Industrial machinery | 5,733 | $130,312 |
| Electronic instruments | 4,438 | $110,274 |
| Medical equipment | 3,957 | $76,088 |
Source: Oregon Employment Department, 2025 QCEW data
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On average, high-tech workers earned $148,274 in 2025, more than twice Oregon’s private-sector average of $72,000.
Oregon’s semiconductor employment is almost six times as concentrated as the national average, paying an average of $172,657. Software publishers had the highest average wage at $180,863.
Oregon’s GDP growth has deteriorated significantly in recent years- from one of the highest to ranking in the lower half since 2018.
The state’s economy grew by 1% in 2025, and its average annual wage increased from $66,342 in 2022 to $73,748 in 2025- an annualized nominal wage growth of approximately 3.6%.
The state has projected that while employment overall is expected to grow by 6% through 2034, high-tech employment is forecast to grow 9%.
Source: Oregon Employment Department projections, 2024 to 2034
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