U.S. Census Release: In September, the U.S. Census Bureau released inflation-adjusted median household income data for 2025. Median household income is the point at which half of households have higher income and half have lower income.
Oregon vs. U.S.: In 2025, Oregon’s median household income exceeded the U.S. median by 6%. The Oregon and U.S. medians were fairly close from 2005 to 2012. Oregon’s inflation-median has exceeded the U.S. median every year since 2013 (go here for a chart).
Trends: Oregon’s inflation-adjusted median household income has dropped slightly since 2020 while the U.S. median has increased slightly (click graphic for a larger image). Between 2015 and 2020, by contrast, Oregon’s inflation-adjusted median outpaced the U.S. median by a significant margin. In 2022, Oregon’s inflation-adjusted median, $94,790, exceeded the U.S. median ($81,460) by 16.4%, 10 percentage points higher than the 2025 gap. In 2022, Oregon’s median was the nation’s 11th highest, and in 2025 it was the nation’s 20th highest.
The big picture: Though Oregon’s median household income remains above the national average, the shrinking gap – and the state’s slide in income rankings nationally – correlates to an overall erosion of the state’s competitiveness and business climate. Oregon needs a healthy business climate to attract investment, drive innovation, create jobs and grow wages.
Learn more: Go here for Oregon data and here for U.S. data. Go here to compare Oregon with other states. Visit the Oregon Scorecard for more Oregon-specific data and rankings.
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