Employment Among Oregon’s Veterans

November 07, 2025

The unemployment rate for Oregon veterans was 4.2% in 2024, according to the Current Population Survey. This was slightly higher than the unemployment rate for nonveterans which was 4.0% in the same period. In the U.S. more broadly, veterans had a lower unemployment rate than their Oregon counterparts at 3.0%.

About 232,700 veterans lived in Oregon in 2023 according to the American Community Survey. Of veterans ages 18 to 64, 76.8% participated in the labor force in the same period. This labor force participation rate was lower than Oregonian nonveterans in the same age range (78.6%) and veterans nationally (77.5%).

In 2023, Oregon’s veterans earned a higher median income ($49,600) than nonveterans ($40,800), despite being less likely to have a college degree. Among Oregon veterans ages 25 years and older, 30.2% had a four-year degree or higher, compared with 38.3% of nonveterans. Alternatively, 3.4% of veterans didn’t have a high school diploma, as opposed to 8.4% of nonveterans.

Female veterans, who represented 9.6% of Oregon’s veterans in 2023, earned a median income of $41,400. That’s less than male veterans’ median of $50,400, but higher than female nonveterans’ income of $35,100.

Veterans were more likely to have a disability, but less likely to be in poverty than the general population. Around 33.8% of veterans ages 18 years and older had a disability in 2023, double the rate for nonveterans (16.6%). In the same period, however, 9.3% of veterans lived below the poverty level, lower than the 12.0% poverty rate among nonveterans. Of the Oregon veterans living in poverty, 46.7% reported having a disability. Among veterans above the poverty line, 30.7% had a disability.

More than half of Oregon’s veterans were ages 65 years or older, many serving in the military at least four decades ago during the Vietnam War (85,400 veterans), Korean War (8,900), or World War II (1,600). Veterans who served in the First and Second Gulf Wars totaled 102,000.

Only 7.7% of Oregon veterans were under the age of 35 in 2023, compared with 29.2% of nonveterans. This older age profile may partially explain why veterans have a lower labor force participation rate, a higher median income, and higher disability rates than nonveterans.

More Resources

In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau launched Veteran Employment Outcomes, an online tool for examining labor market outcomes for recently discharged Army veterans. Tabulated by military specialization, service characteristics, employer industry, and demographics, the interactive tool allows for comparing veteran wages across different factors. The tool can be accessed at https://lehd.ces.census.gov/applications/veo.

More information about recruiting and hiring veterans can be found at https://www.oregon.gov/employ/businesses/pages/recruit-and-hire-veterans.aspx

For veterans or spouses looking for employment resources, visit your local WorkSource Oregon Center or visit the 541VETS website.

National data on veterans can be found at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ “Employment Situation of Veterans.”