Oregon High-Tech Employment Grew Over the Decade Despite Recent Manufacturing Declines
August 10, 2026In 2025, there were 95,400 high-tech jobs in Oregon, 14% more than in 2015. The sector was 8% jobs below the annual peak of 103,200 jobs in 2023. Within high-tech, the manufacturing component declined over the decade from 41,100 to 39,500. The services component had a gain of 13,500 jobs and averaged 56,000 jobs in 2025. High-tech services accounted for 59% of employment in 2025, up from 51% in 2015.
High-tech is a common focus in Oregon, but it is not an official sector in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Instead, high-tech industries are identified by their concentration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations. In 2005, a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) article provided the foundation for this approach. The most recent research by the BLS and Workforce Information Council research, and by the U.S. Census Bureau, have consistently defined core high-tech industries as those industries with at least five times the national average STEM concentration. The average industry in the U.S. has about a 6% concentration of STEM jobs, meaning concentrations of 30% or more are considered core high-tech. High-tech in this article refers to a collection of the 11 four-digit NAICS industries listed below.
| Industry | Broad Sector | NAICS |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | Manufacturing | 3254 |
| Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | Manufacturing | 3341 |
| Communications Equipment Manufacturing | Manufacturing | 3342 |
| Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | Manufacturing | 3343 |
| Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | Manufacturing | 3344 |
| Navigational, Measuring, Medical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | Manufacturing | 3345 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | Manufacturing | 3364 |
| Software Publishers | Information | 5132 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5413 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5415 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5417 |
High-Tech Services Drove All of the Decade’s Job Growth
High-tech employment increased from 83,600 jobs in 2015 to 95,500 in 2025, a gain of 11,900 jobs, or 14% over the decade. Annual employment peaked at 103,200 jobs in 2023 before falling by 7,700 jobs in the last two years. Core high-tech accounts for 4.8% of all private-sector employment statewide.
Employment growth over the last decade was different when comparing high-tech manufacturing with high-tech services. High-tech services added 13,500 jobs from 2015 to 2025, an increase of 32%. High-tech manufacturing lost 1,600 jobs, a decline of 4%. The two components were nearly equal in 2015, but by 2025 high-tech services accounted for 59% of high-tech employment in Oregon.
Semiconductor Manufacturing Maintains the Largest Share of High-Tech Employment and Payroll in Oregon
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing had the largest amount of employment and payroll among the core industries, with 28,300 jobs and nearly $5 billion of payroll wages paid in 2025. Employment in this industry is nearly six times as concentrated in Oregon as it is nationally, the highest concentration among the 44 states that publish data for NAICS 3344.
At $148,000 in 2025, the average annual wage in Oregon’s core high-tech industries was more than twice the statewide private-sector average of $72,000. Software publishers had the highest average annual wage at $181,000.
| Industry Sector | NAICS | Employment | Total Payroll Wages | Annual Average Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Core High-Tech Employment | | 95,440 | $14,151,272,214 | $148,274 |
| Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 3344 | 28,338 | $4,892,764,612 | $172,657 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 5413 | 19,056 | $2,059,648,000 | $108,084 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 5415 | 17,452 | $2,797,507,276 | $160,297 |
| Software Publishers | 5132 | 13,096 | $2,368,584,500 | $180,863 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 5417 | 6,379 | $872,458,813 | $136,770 |
| Navigational, Measuring, Medical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 3345 | 4,434 | $488,777,686 | $110,234 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 3364 | 3,489 | $372,565,362 | $106,783 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 3254 | 1,212 | $97,231,383 | $80,224 |
| Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 3341 | 880 | $97,297,687 | $110,566 |
| Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | 3343 | 653 | $60,802,531 | $93,113 |
| Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 3342 | 451 | $43,634,364 | $96,750 |
More than Two-Thirds of Oregon’s High-Tech Workforce is Male
High-tech employment skews more male compared with the overall economy in Oregon: men made up about 68% of high-tech employment in Oregon, compared with about 51% across all Oregon industries. Asian workers made up about 16% of Oregon’s high-tech workforce, nearly three times their 6% share of Oregon’s overall workforce.
Software Developers Lead a Broad Group of High-Tech Occupations
Oregon’s high-tech sector includes jobs in software and engineering, production, computer user support, project management, and supervisor jobs. A select group of occupations important to Oregon’s high-tech industry are listed below with employment, wage, and entry-level education information. Data on nearly 800 occupations in Oregon is available from the Oregon Occupational Wage Information. This occupational data is counted across all industries in Oregon’s economy, meaning this is not a breakdown of the high-tech industry.
| Occupation | SOC | 2025 Employment | Median Hourly Wage | Typical Entry-Level Education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 11-3021 | 7,440 | $85.67 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 11-9041 | (c) | $86.62 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Project Management Specialists | 13-1082 | 19,380 | $51.56 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 13-1199 | 14,920 | $37.72 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Computer User Support Specialists | 15-1232 | 8,850 | $31.06 | Postsecondary training (non-degree) |
| Software Developers | 15-1252 | 21,830 | $70.54 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 15-1253 | 1,840 | $53.59 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Civil Engineers | 17-2051 | 4,890 | $52.02 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 17-2072 | 1,730 | $61.48 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Industrial Engineers | 17-2112 | 5,810 | $63.41 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers | 51-2028 | 3,530 | $23.42 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Semiconductor Processing Technicians | 51-9141 | 6,620 | $31.13 | High school diploma or equivalent |
Outlook Varies Across High-Tech Industries
High-tech employment in Oregon is projected to grow by 9% from 2024-2034, which is faster than the overall rate of 6% employment growth in Oregon. The underlying components of high-tech are projected to grow at different rates, though not all components have published projections. Architectural and engineering services is projected to grow by 22% during the same 10-year period. Software publishers employment is projected to grow by 12%, computer systems design and related services is projected to grow by 10%, and semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing employment is projected to grow by 2%. Projections for other components of core high-tech are not published. Regardless of the net job growth, every industry will have job openings because of retirements, promotions, and other labor force departures requiring trained workers to step into roles.