Employment in Washington County – Five-Year Changes Vary by Sector
April 29, 2025Employment in Washington County is now slightly higher than it was before the onset of the pandemic. Total nonfarm employment reached 308,200 in February 2025, up 3,500 jobs (1%) from February 2020. Unpacking the topline job gain reveals a mixed bag of changes by industry sector.
Employment in private education and health services grew by 3,000 jobs (7%). Construction added 1,900 jobs (11%). Transportation, warehousing, and utilities had the fastest growth rate, gaining 1,600 jobs (27%) as logistics and fulfillment centers expanded. Government payrolls rose by 1,700 jobs (7%), with both state government and local government each contributing 800 of those gains while federal government employment grew by 100. Wholesale trade employment increased by 1,200 (9%).
At the same time, several white-collar and consumer-facing industries posted declines. Professional and business services lost 2,900 jobs (-5%), the largest drop in absolute terms. Financial activities contracted by 1,700 jobs (-9%) amid more recent increased interest rates and ongoing back-office consolidations. Retail trade fell by 1,000 jobs (-3%) and information services declined by 400 jobs (-5%).
Five years on, the mix of jobs looks different. Construction, health care, government, and transportation and warehousing now hold a larger slice of the total employment, while professional services, finance, manufacturing, and information have slipped.
The five-year February to February snapshot is handy, yet it hides large swings inside the period. Manufacturing employment fell to 50,400 in November 2020, climbed to 56,500 in November 2022, and slipped back to 51,700 by February 2025. Professional and business services followed a similar roller coaster: down to 51,400 in May 2020, up to 58,000 in February 2023, then down again to 53,900. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities soared from 5,800 at its April 2020 low point to 8,400 in December 2021 before easing to 7,600.
These figures are from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program, which tracks nonfarm payroll jobs. The CES excludes farm labor, self-employed individuals, and unpaid family workers. Industry details are not published locally in some cases due to confidentiality protections. You can view and download the published CES data for Oregon at QualityInfo.org/ceest.