Oregon Salaries Rose Faster Than Healthcare Costs Over the Last Five Years

Healthcare costs in Oregon rose by 20.5% over the last five years, 0.4% lower than the national average of $9,195 per person.

However, while the national average was 13% of salaries spent on healthcare in 2023, Oregon’s salary spend remained steady at 14%.

Only two states – Kentucky and Louisiana – now spend more of their income on healthcare than they did five years ago.

Salary Increases Have Softened the Impact of Rising Healthcare Costs

According to a study by Steno Health, although healthcare costs continue to rise nationally, salary increases have buffered the financial impact on the majority of households compared to pre-pandemic levels.

While average healthcare costs rose by $1,589, an increase of 20.9%, typical salary increases rose from $55,567 to $69,418 between 2019 and 2023, the period on which the study was based.

The findings were similar in Oregon, where healthcare costs rose from $7,596 in 2019 to $9,155 in 2023, a 20.5% increase.

Over the same five-year period, the average salary in Oregon increased from $52,190 to $67,514, a 29.4%. This indicates that expenditure on healthcare as a percentage of income actually decreased in Oregon, from 15% in 2019 to 14% in 2023.

South Dakota improved the most in affordability, where the percentage of income spent on healthcare dropped from 19% to 16%. Two percent drops were reflected in healthcare costs in Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, and Washington.

Kentucky and Louisiana are the only two states where increases in the percentage of income were recorded in healthcare.

Kentucky residents spend 17% of $55,063 annual salaries (an average of $9,463 per year), up from 16% in 2019. In Louisiana, the share has risen from 15% to 16%, with residents earning an average of $58,661 and spending $9,576 annually on healthcare.