Multnomah County reported a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 7.8 percent, a decline of 0.8 percent since one year ago. For the Portland Metro region, the March unemployment rate of 7.9 percent was the lowest rate in more than three years.
Private-sector growth occurred in most major industries, with construction growing the fastest. Professional and technical services and health care also showed strong employment growth over the last 12 months.
The recession has slowed population growth in the region. In Multnomah County, the population grew by only 0.7 percent in 2011, about half the growth rate in 2007.
Multnomah County has the first- and fourth-most populous Oregon cities in Portland and Gresham. Portland is the county's largest city with a population of 583,845. Gresham, 17 miles to the east, has a population of 101,795. These two cities account for nearly 94 percent of the 741,925 residents in the county.
Nearly one-half of Multnomah County's population is under 35 years of age, and 10.8 percent are 65 years or older. The county has slightly more women than men (50.6% and 49.4%, respectively).
About one-fifth of the county's population identify as a minority, which adds to its cultural and economic richness. One-half of the minority population is of Hispanic or Latino heritage. Adding to this diversity, just over 93,000 of Multnomah County residents are foreign born. The largest sources of foreign born residents are Latin America (35.2%), Asia (32.7%) and Europe (22.7%).
Thirty-seven percent of Multnomah County residents ages 25 years and older hold a bachelor's or advanced degree. On the other hand, 11 percent of the same population has less than a high school diploma.
In Multnomah County, 69.5 percent of those 16 years and older were in the labor force. Just over 40 percent worked in professional, management, and related occupations; another 24 percent work in a sales or office related occupations, and about 17 percent work in service related occupations. By industry, 22 percent of employed workers were in education or health care and social service sectors, while 13 percent worked in professional, scientific and technical services, 11 percent worked in the retail sector; and 10 percent worked in manufacturing.
Updated 04/24/2012
Recent Population Estimates
from the Portland State University Center for Population Research and Census
from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
United States
$
37,725
$
39,506
$
40,947
$
38,846
$
39,937
$
41,663
Oregon
$
34,706
$
35,950
$
37,407
$
35,467
$
36,317
$
37,909
Multnomah County
$
39,610
$
40,505
$
41,638
$
39,081
$
39,945
Bureau of Economic Analysis per capita income defined as all personal income from all sources,
divided by the population. Personal income figures are gathered from administrative records,
state and federal agencies, and updated on an annual basis at state and county level.
Questions about this report or requests for additional information may be directed to the Employment Department's Workforce Analyst for Multnomah County:
