Portland, OR Salary Guide (2024)
The median annual wage across all occupations in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area is $59,040, spread over roughly 1,213,760 jobs. This guide breaks that down across 80 detailed occupations with released wage data, from fast food and counter workers down to the smallest job categories BLS can publish.
Salary by occupation in Portland, OR
Ranked by median annual wage. Every row links to a full page with the local pay distribution, the percentile breakdown, and how the metro compares with the rest of the country.
| Occupation | Hourly | Annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $16.75 | $34,850 | 33,490 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $20.76 | $43,190 | 27,790 |
| Retail Salespersons | $17.68 | $36,770 | 27,440 |
| General and Operations Managers | $53.05 | $110,350 | 25,260 |
| Registered Nurses | $61.53 | $127,980 | 24,930 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $21.31 | $44,320 | 22,190 |
| Cashiers | $17.17 | $35,710 | 19,740 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $21.90 | $45,550 | 18,580 |
| Software Developers | $71.64 | $149,010 | 16,620 |
| Office Clerks, General | $24.15 | $50,230 | 15,920 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $22.73 | $47,280 | 15,140 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $30.53 | $63,500 | 14,460 |
| Project Management Specialists | $49.09 | $102,100 | 14,080 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $17.34 | $36,060 | 13,920 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $18.35 | $38,160 | 13,760 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $25.22 | $52,450 | 13,660 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | $25.50 | $53,050 | 13,020 |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | $18.30 | $38,060 | 12,770 |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | $37.80 | $78,620 | 12,010 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | $18.88 | $39,260 | 11,970 |
| Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other | $18.22 | $37,900 | 10,870 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $35.75 | $74,360 | 10,870 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $40.40 | $84,030 | 10,750 |
| Carpenters | $31.64 | $65,810 | 10,290 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $27.31 | $56,810 | 10,060 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | $42.28 | $87,950 | 9,700 |
| Receptionists and Information Clerks | $20.23 | $42,070 | 8,470 |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $25.13 | $52,260 | 8,470 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $22.21 | $46,200 | 8,310 |
| Security Guards | $21.62 | $44,960 | 8,260 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $35.31 | $73,440 | 8,210 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $38.59 | $80,270 | 8,080 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | $23.80 | $49,510 | 8,040 |
| Light Truck Drivers | $22.41 | $46,620 | 7,960 |
| Semiconductor Processing Technicians | $29.52 | $61,410 | 7,820 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $17.92 | $37,270 | 7,720 |
| Human Resources Specialists | $37.43 | $77,860 | 7,610 |
| Nursing Assistants | $23.33 | $48,520 | 7,600 |
| Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks | $22.52 | $46,850 | 7,590 |
| Construction Laborers | $26.00 | $54,070 | 7,540 |
| Electricians | $49.07 | $102,070 | 7,290 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | $22.32 | $46,420 | 7,240 |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | $21.69 | $45,120 | 7,190 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $51.88 | $107,920 | 7,110 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $31.99 | $66,540 | 7,060 |
| Bartenders | $17.42 | $36,240 | 6,900 |
| Medical Assistants | $25.02 | $52,040 | 6,360 |
| Computer User Support Specialists | $29.97 | $62,330 | 6,340 |
| Management Analysts | $50.66 | $105,380 | 6,260 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $41.72 | $86,770 | 5,940 |
Median pay across these occupations runs from $34,850 to $149,010 — a 4.3× spread between the lowest- and highest-paid detailed occupations in the metro. The all-occupation median of $59,040 sits nearer the bottom of that range, because the largest job categories in most metros are also among the lower-paid ones.
Frequently asked questions about Portland, OR pay
What is the median salary in Portland, OR?
Across all occupations, the median annual wage in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area is $59,040. Total employment covered by the survey is about 1,213,760 jobs.
Which jobs pay the most in Portland, OR?
The highest median wage in the metro belongs to fast food and counter workers at $34,850, followed by stockers and order fillers ($43,190) and retail salespersons ($36,770).
How many occupations are covered for Portland, OR?
This guide covers 80 detailed occupations with released wage data for the metro area, out of the 800+ detailed occupations the OEWS survey tracks nationally. Occupations with too few workers locally to publish a reliable estimate are excluded by BLS.
Is this enough to live on in Portland, OR?
These are nominal wages — they are not adjusted for local housing, tax, or transport costs. A median that looks high in Portland, OR may buy less than a lower median in a cheaper metro. Use the all-occupation median of $59,040 as the local baseline and compare any specific job against that, not against the national number.
About these figures
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024. OEWS surveys employers, so it excludes self-employed workers and independent contractors, and it reports wages rather than total compensation. Occupations with too few workers locally to produce a reliable estimate are suppressed by BLS and therefore absent from this page.
Full detail in the methodology. Original data: bls.gov/oes.