Minimum Wage Jobs in Northwest Oregon
July 07, 2025On July 1st, Oregon’s minimum wage increased across the state. In the counties comprising Northwest Oregon, all of which are part of the standard minimum wage area, the minimum wage increased $0.35 from $14.70 to $15.05. Since 2023, minimum wages across the state have been adjusted annually for inflation to maintain purchasing power for minimum wage earners. In 2024, there were 4,307 jobs paying $14.70 or less and 2,372 jobs paying between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage across Northwest Oregon. That equates to 3.9% of all jobs in Northwest Oregon paying minimum wage in 2024 with 2.2% of all jobs paying between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage.
In Benton County, 1,570 jobs (3.7%) paid minimum wage with 845 jobs (2.0%) paying between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage. Minimum wage jobs could be found across many industries, with leisure and hospitality and retail trade containing the highest number of jobs paying both minimum wage and paying between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage. There were 394 jobs in leisure and hospitality and 316 jobs in retail trade that paid $14.70 or less, with 285 jobs in leisure and hospitality and 196 jobs in retail trade paying between $14.70 and $15.05.
Clatsop County had 853 jobs (3.8%) that paid minimum wage in 2024, with 438 jobs (2.0%) paying between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage. Leisure and hospitality employed the most minimum wage earners with 375 jobs paying $14.70 or less and 197 jobs paying between $14.70 and $15.05.
Columbia County had the highest percentage of minimum wage jobs with 4.8% (628 jobs) of all jobs paying minimum wage and 2.4% (317 jobs) paying between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage. Leisure and hospitality employed the largest amount of minimum wage workers with 260 minimum wage jobs in 2024 and 113 jobs paying between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage.
Lincoln County had the highest percentage of jobs paying between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage at 2.5% (528 jobs) and had 850 jobs (4.0%) that paid minimum wage. The largest number of minimum wage jobs was in leisure and hospitality with 334 jobs paying minimum wage and 201 jobs paying between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage.
Tillamook County had 406 jobs (3.7%) that paid minimum wage and 244 jobs (2.2%) that paid between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage. Like the other counties, leisure and hospitality had the largest number of minimum wage workers with 120 minimum wage jobs and 73 jobs that paid between the 2024 and 2025 minimum wage.
While leisure and hospitality employed the largest number of minimum wage workers in all five counties, other services had the largest percentage of minimum wage jobs in three of the five counties. Other services employed fewer individuals than leisure and hospitality but had a higher proportion of minimum wage jobs than the other industries. In Clatsop County, 13.4% of all jobs in other services paid minimum wage.