Washington County’s Highly Educated Workforce Earns a Wage Premium
April 07, 2025Educational attainment is a baseline metric for assessing labor market qualifications, and Oregon's population tends to have relatively high education levels. Roughly one in three people over age 25 in Oregon has attained a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the 2023 American Community Survey estimates. This share is slightly higher in Washington County, where 47% of people have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher.
More education tends to correlate with higher wages. That said, there are many high-wage and high-demand careers that do not require college education. 50 such jobs are discussed in “50 Jobs That Pay Well…No College Necessary!” a separate article on our website. Matching opportunities between local jobs and jobseekers’ skills and training is more important for an efficient labor market than maximizing the percentage of graduates of a particular degree.
I. Educational Attainment is High Across Washington County
Washington County residents are more likely to hold a college degree than those in Oregon or the U.S. overall. Nearly half (47%) of adults age 25 and older in the county have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with about one-third of adults in Oregon and the nation.
Educational attainment is relatively evenly distributed across the county. This analysis uses the Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA) definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. Residents in the northeastern portion of the county – including Cedar Mill and eastern Beaverton – had the highest educational attainment, with 54% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Hillsboro, that share was lower at 42%. While some variation does exist, these regional disparities are less pronounced than many in nearby Multnomah or Clackamas counties.
These figures, which cover 2019 to 2023, incorporate individuals age 25 and older, a point when most people have completed their highest level of formal education. The data also includes some information about economic outcomes, such as unemployment and earnings.
II. Higher Education Levels Linked to Higher Incomes
Educational attainment also correlates with economic outcomes. Washington County’s median income for adults 25 and older was $61,975 – higher than Oregon’s ($50,487) and the U.S. ($51,184). This is largely a result of the county’s relatively high share of college-educated residents and employment in high-wage industries.
Washington County residents earn a wage premium for their educational achievements. When comparing median earnings by educational attainment, Washington County consistently outpaces Oregon and national benchmarks at nearly every education level. For example, median earnings for those with graduate or professional degrees reached $107,242, higher than Oregon’s median ($85,864) and the U.S. median ($88,719). The only exception is for residents without a high school diploma, where wage differences were not statistically significant.
