2020 State of the Economy This annual update on the state of our economy, led by the Portland Business Alliance and the Value of Jobs coalition, marks an unprecedented moment. We are in the longest economic expansion on record. And yet, there’s a 1-in-3 chance our region is at risk of a recession in the next year. Read Full Report

2020 Housing Affordability This report produced by the Portland Business Alliance, takes a closer look at housing affordability across the greater Portland region. From the dark years of the recession, our Value of Jobs reports repeatedly note how an insufficient housing supply impacts affordability. Read Full Report

2019 Oregon's State of Trade The 2019 Oregon State of Trade report, produced by the Alliance, Pacific Northwest International Trade Association (PNITA) and the Value of Jobs coalition, tracks the latest data and explores the impact of international trade across the greater Portland region and the state of Oregon. Read Full Report

2018 Economic Check-Up The 2018 Economic Check-Up tracks strong economic expansion, record employment and population growth. At the same time, it also sheds light on continuing challenges, most notably: A lack of housing supply and affordability, increased congestion, and disproportionate prosperity for all. Read Full Report

2018 A closer look at east multnomah county For the 2018 Economic Check-Up we took a closer look at the challenges and opportunities for attracting and retaining jobs in East Multnomah County, which is defined as the area of the county east of Interstate 205 for the purpose of this report. Read Full Report

2017 Economic Check-Up Since 2010, the Alliance has released an annual Economic Check-Up to evaluate the region's performance. This year's report compares Portland-metro's economic performance against a new set of regions: Austin, Seattle, Salt Lake, Nashville and Indianapolis. While Portland shines in a number of measures, including its educated workforce and median household income, growing home prices and unequal prosperity remain a challenge that the region must address. Read Full Report

2017 Automation and the Future of Work In this 2017 report, based on recent technological innovations, researchers predict the impacts of increasing automation and what that means for Oregonians and their jobs. The next wave of automation and the future of work have risen to the top of economic and policy discussions. Read Full Report

2017 Industrial Lands Inventory This 2017 inventory update focuses on the development status of large 25+ net acre industrial sites in the Portland region. The goal is to help inform continued local, regional and state efforts to ensure an adequate supply of land to attract traded-sector jobs. Read the report

2016 Economic Check-up Portland-metro’s regional economy continued to rebound in 2016. A growing economy, increasing jobs and wages and high productivity are significant strengths. As Portland-metro continues to grow, it is undergoing fundamental economic shifts that are good news for some, but prosperity is not equally spread across the region. Download Report

2015 Economic Check-up In this seventh year of recovery after the Great Recession, Portland-metro is repeating the trends seen in the region’s economic history. When the recession began in 2007, Portland-metro fell faster and harder than comparable metro regions across the U.S. And when recovery began in 2009, the region grew jobs faster than the national average. Download Report

2015 Middle Income Jobs During the last three decades, Portland-metro, like most regions of the United States, has experienced a decline in middle-income jobs. The result is increased job and income polarization, a trend many policy makers are trying to address, here in Portland-metro and across the United States. Download Report

2014 Economic Impacts of Congestion This 2014 report is a continuation of the 2005 Cost of Congestion report that found that our region’s economic competitiveness is heavily dependent on an efficient and reliable transportation system. The report shows our reliance on the state’s transportation system to move goods, ensure access to labor, and increase productivity, all of which impact revenues accruing to the state for vital public services. Download Report

2014 Economic Check-up In this fifth annual Economic Check-Up shows that the region added back 84,875 jobs. Much of the recession recovery has been in the local sector and Portland-metro’s recovery of traded-sector jobs outpaces the national average for metro areas, yet lags continue in key sectors, such as manufacturing and construction. Download Report

2014 Industrial Lands Inventory The availability of large and market-ready industrial sites is critical to expanding and attracting traded-sector businesses and growing middle-income jobs needed for a prosperous region. This report is an update to the 2012 Regional Industrial Site Readiness Project of large (25+acres) industrial sites within the area Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and select urban reserves. Download Report

2014 Portland-metro's Health Care In Portland-metro, as in nearly every major U.S. metro region, the health care industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. The job growth is impressive, but, for this industry at least, jobs are a secondary part of the story. More important are health outcomes and the efficiency of the health care delivery system. Download Report

2013 Economic Check-up The fourth annual Economic Check-Up focuses on three measures that indicate the health of the Portland-metro economy: Gross Metropolitan Product (GMP), employment and income. For the first time since 2008, median income in Portland-metro increased and the region gained back more than 90 percent of the jobs lost since the recession. Download Report

2013 International Trade & Portland Harbor's Impact This report also follows up on a 2010 Value of Jobs Coalition international trade study, which revealed the region’s dependence on international trade. Included in this report are three inter-related studies about international trade, the Portland Harbor’s economic impact and marine industrial businesses engaged in trade activity. Download Report

2013 Higher Education & Regional Prosperity This report shows the relationship between higher education and economic growth. For decades, we have understood the critical connection between an educated workforce and economic growth. This report reveals that we need to be more deliberate and thoughtful about the type of degrees our students are earning and how those degrees translate to higher earnings. Download Report

2012 Economic Check-up This 2012 report has welcome good news: Portland-metro has gained back about 60 percent of the jobs we lost since August 2008. This report takes a look at where that job recovery has occurred, and we find some encouraging highlights. Jobs in construction grew considerably and employment gains were made in food service and retail, reflecting renewed consumer confidence. Download Report

2012 Manufacturing Sector This study looks at one critical part of the traded-sector economy — manufacturing. The production of traded-sector goods is still the backbone of Portland-metro’s traded-sector employment. A strong manufacturing sector translates into higher incomes and significantly better health and retirement benefits for Portland-metro workers. Download Report

2012 Portland-metro's Traded Sector This report shows the region’s economic challenges and opportunities and illustrate how private-sector jobs support our region’s quality of life and public services. Higher wages from traded-sector jobs will, on average, generate more revenue for critical services like schools, health care and social services than local-sector jobs. Download Report

2012 Land Availability: Phase 2 This report is a companion to the 2012 Land Availability report and analyzes the challenges in both time and money in preparing large-lot industrial sites for development and the potential for both job creation and added local and state revenue. Download Report

2012 Land Availability There are a number of factors that help a metro region’s economy thrive – an educated workforce, sound infrastructure, a coordinated transportation system and available land to grow and attract employers. This report examines one ingredient of regional economic health: the readiness of large-lot industrial lands. View report and support documents

2011 Economic Check-up In the 2011 report, the data points reveal opportunities and challenges for Portland-metro. These challenges and opportunities raise questions of how we leverage these opportunities and resolve these challenges to improve our region’s quality of life. Download Report

2010 International Trade Portland-metro has one of the best multimodal transportation hubs on the West Coast for connecting domestic and international markets. Trade directly and indirectly supported more than 34,000 jobs in the state in 2006. Download Report