Thankful for working and living on the Westside

As the leaves continue to fall and the seasons change, Oregonians continue to feel the effects of "The Great Recession," but residents and businesses on the Westside of the Portland metropolitan region have new reasons to give thanks this week.

The latest employment numbers released this week by Oregon's employment department confirmed that job growth in Washington County increased 1.9 percent in the past 12 months, while unemployment figures have dropped more than one percent to hover at 7.8 percent in October.

Unemployment numbers in neighboring Clackamas and Multnomah counties are stalled at 8.8 and 8.9 percent respectively, but these still remain below the national (9.0 percent) and statewide (9.6 percent) averages.

Employers in Washington County have added 4,400 jobs in the past 12 months, while an additional 3,100 jobs were added in Multnomah County.  Clackamas County however, remains unchanged, and Yamhill County has lost 40 jobs since October 2010.  Of the 24,300 new jobs created in Oregon in the past 12 months, more than 30 percent have been concentrated in Washington and Multnomah counties.    

Troubling new data from Oregon's Department of Human Services confirmed last week that Oregon now leads the nation in terms of the percentage of residents needing federal food assistance through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  A record 788,799 Oregonians received federal food stamp assistance in October, representing a stunning one in five Oregonians.

Among residents and communities in the Portland metropolitan region, the number of food stamp recipients varies widely from a comparative low of 13.1 percent in Washington and 13.6 percent in Clackamas counties to a high of 20.5 percent of Yamhill County residents and 21.5 percent of people living in Multnomah County.

Food Stamp recipients by county look like this: 

Despite the gloomy economic outlook however, Oregon continues to be a human magnet for people moving here from all points on the compass. 

Forbes magazine recently released a new interactive map, illustrating the mobility of 37.5 million Americans who moved in 2009 to search for new opportunities.  The latest migration patterns, compiled using 2009 IRS tax filings, confirms that more people are moving into Oregon than are seeking greener pastures elsewhere.