By Taxpayers Association of Oregon Foundation According to a National Association of Realtors study using USPS change-of-address data, Oregon was one of the top states people moved out of.  Oregon’s net migration loss for 2022 was 17,331 people, or .4% of its population.  

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation Housing is the largest budget item for most households. In the broader economic picture, housing affordability impacts population migration and construction. It reduces existing home sales and new home starts. Even though housing prices have somewhat stabilized, rising interest rates have made homeownership less […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation According to the Oregon Office of Econoimic Analysis, 21 percent of Oregon renter households in the state were living in poverty, and 44 percent of rental households spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. Fifty-four percent of renters do not have […]

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon Foundation In May, voters in Multnomah County will vote on implementing an adjustable 0.75% capital gains tax to provide free lawyers to tenants being evicted. Portland and Multnomah County already subsidize legal defense for low-income renters facing eviction. Backers needed 22,686 valid signatures to qualify […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation Supply chain issues and lower demand as a result of higher prices and interest rates made 2022 the worst year for new car sales since 2011, according to Kelley Blue Book estimates. When automakers report their full year sales next week, the number should […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation There are three basic sources of demands for downtowns: downtown residents, commuters, and visitors from the suburbs or out-of-town. Commuter demand declined significantly in Portland (see Oregonians Working from Home). Many downtown Portland businesses relied on the lunch or after work crowds for a […]

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon Foundation December spending on services was the worst in nearly a year, retail spending fell 3 of the last 4 months, rising mortgage interest rates drove existing home sales to their lowest level since 2014, and car sales were the worst in more than a […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation According to the U.S. Census’ 2021 American Community Survey, between 2019 and 2021 work from home workers increased from 6% of the labor force to 18%. In Oregon, it went from 7% in 2019 to 23% in 2021. Oregon ranks as the fifth highest […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation, The Dow was down 9.16% for the year, the S&P down 19.89%, and the NASDAQ down a stunning 32.07%. Stocks took a beating as the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England raised interest rates in a bid to […]