For a growing number of Oregon families, holding down a job is not enough to lift them out of poverty. The share of Oregon families who had at least one working parent and yet fell below the poverty line was higher in 2014 than before the Great Recession. These families who are poor despite work make up a large majority of all Oregon families living in poverty.

Making sure that workers can provide for their families ought to be a top priority for Oregon lawmakers. To that end, there are clear policy choices: substantially raise the minimum wage and put in place strong protections against wage theft to ensure that workers get the wages they have earned.

Full article is available as a PDF: Poverty Despite Work: A Growing Problem in Oregon