Minimum Wage Rises on July 1, Reaching $11.50 per Hour at the South Coast
July 2, 2020 In the third quarter of 2019, the Oregon Employment Department estimates there were about 2,572 payroll jobs that paid minimum wage at the South Coast, at the time $11.00 per hour. Overall, minimum wage jobs comprise 7.5 percent of payroll jobs, with the portion of the total a bit higher in Curry County (9.3 percent) than in Coos County (7.0 percent). As of July 1, 2020, that minimum hourly rate for most South Coast jobs rises to $11.50 per hour, an increase of about 4.5 percent. With overall U.S. consumer prices essentially flat over the year ending in May 2020, this increase of 4.5 percent also represents a real purchasing power increase of about the same amount. The increase the prior year was also a 50-cent increase, or a gain of about 4.8 percent. Oregon’s minimum wage levels were set by Senate Bill 1532 in 2016. South Coast minimum wage earners will continue to see 50 cent per hour annual increases each July 1st, until 2022 when the minimum wage will be $12.50. After that, the wage will be adjusted each year based on the U.S. consumer price index (CPI).

As some of the industries impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are also industries with many minimum wage jobs, including retail trade and leisure and hospitality, next year’s data will reveal how the pandemic has impacted employment by wage level, including the number of jobs paying minimum wage.
See our report Oregon’s Minimum Wage Jobs: Facts, Figures, and Context for historical information about Oregon’s minimum wage jobs.
See the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries website for the Oregon Minimum Wage Rate Summary.