Small Business Survey Ranks Oregon’s Most Reliable Cities for On-Time Payments

By Diane Megaw On Nov 9, 2025

In three Oregon cities — Salem, Eugene, and Portland — a handshake still counts. The cities were named Oregon’s most trustworthy in a national survey of small business owners who were asked to identify the cities with the best and worst payers.

Salem, Eugene, and Portland Named Most Trustworthy Cities In Oregon

For small business owners, getting paid on time can feel like the Wild West. For many businesses, these delays can mean the difference between thriving and shuttering.

A survey by direct business loan lender Advance Funds Network of 3,013 small business owners asked respondents to identify which cities are home to businesses with the best reputations for paying invoices on time.

The infographic from the survey shows the top 10 cities nationally with a reputation for paying invoices on time, ranked as follows:

#1 Clarksville, Tennessee
#2 Glendale, California
#3 Vancouver, Washington
#4 Overland Park, Kansas
#5 Cary, North Carolina
#6 Salem, Oregon
#7 Providence, Rhode Island
#8 Chattanooga, Tennessee
#9 Newport News, Virginia
#10 Eugene, Oregon
#95 Portland, Oregon

Some clients drag their feet on payments, others dispute invoices after the work is done, and a few default altogether.

A striking 74% said they would give a discount for a faster payment. Small business owners painted a clear picture of financial strain when asked about the real impact of unpaid invoices. They said:

25%: No effect (the minority).
20%: Would delay payments to suppliers. (Most small business owners said they pay their invoices within 14 days on average.)
17%: Would reduce growth or investment plans.
15%: May delay employee paychecks.
15%: Would rely more heavily on credit or loans.
10%: Repeated delays could put them at risk of closure.

The most common excuses small business owners heard were:

“We never got the invoice.” – 33%
“The check’s in the mail.” – 26%
“We need more time for approval.” – 22%
“Cashflow issues on our side.” – 20%

Irving Betesh, CRO of Advance Funds Network, confirmed that, “The cities that stand out aren’t just better at paying bills; they’ve built cultures of accountability that ripple through every transaction. It’s proof that reliability is still a competitive advantage.”