Firm Size in Washington County, 2025: Most Employers Are Small

August 08, 2025

In the first quarter of 2025, Washington County had nearly 19,000 private firms that were subject to paying unemployment insurance taxes. Almost 14,000 of these firms had at least one payroll employee in March.

More than 19 out of 20 firms (97%) with workers on their payrolls had less than 100 employees. While that left only 426 (or 3%) of firms with 100+ employees, they employed the majority (60%) of all workers and accounted for two-thirds (67%) of all wages paid in Washington County.

Firms with Fewer than 100 Employees

There were 13,552 firms with fewer than 100 employees in Washington County in the first quarter of 2025. They made up 97% of all private-sector firms in the county. Most had between one and four employees, with 8,067 firms representing 58% of all private firms in the county.

Despite their abundance, smaller firms accounted for a smaller share of total employment and wages. Firms with one to four employees made up 5.3% of private employment and 4.7% of total wages paid in the first quarter of 2025. In contrast, the 71 largest firms, those with 500 or more employees, represented just 0.5% of firms but accounted for 35% of jobs and 45% of total wages paid in the private sector.

Size of firm data offers a one-time view of Washington County’s economy, showing the presence of small and large businesses instead of job growth dynamics.

First Quarter Employment and Pay

Washington County had 303,034 people working in jobs covered by the state’s unemployment insurance system during the first quarter of 2025. This was a decrease of 3,313, or 1.1%, from the same quarter of the previous year. They earned a total of $6.8 billion, with an average wage of about $22,400 per worker for the quarter. The median hourly wage during the quarter was $33.14.

You can read about the size of firms statewide in the article A Snapshot of Oregon Firms by Size Class, 2025.