Government Employment in Eastern Oregon
September 09, 2025If we consider government in all its forms (federal, state, and local) as a single industry, it is the largest industry of employment in Eastern Oregon. This is not uncommon for rural areas where economic diversity is not as great as in urban areas. According to the Oregon Employment Department’s Employment and Wages by Industry (QCEW) data for 2024, government accounted for 23.7% of the employment and 28.4% of the wages for the eight counties comprising Eastern Oregon. Statewide, by comparison, government was responsible for 14.7% of employment and 16.4% of wages.
Looking at the eight counties individually, Harney and Grant counties had the highest percentages of employment in government, at 41.5% and 40.5% respectively. Morrow County was at the low end with government only accounting for 14.9% of employment, much closer to the statewide percentage. This is most likely due to the growth that has taken place at the Port of Morrow in private industry. Government accounted for a whopping 54.3% of wages in Harney County followed by 48.9% in Grant County. Again, Morrow County came in the lowest, at 13.8%. Morrow County was the only county where government accounted for a lower percentage of wages than employment.
