If you follow news coverage about Oregon’s economy, you may be surprised to learn the following: Oregon’s economy has grown faster than that of most states on a per capita (per person) basis over the past two-plus decades. 

It’s important to point this out because you may have come away with the wrong impression about Oregon’s economic growth if you read a recent article on the topic by the Oregon Journalism Project (OJP). The article rightly states that Oregon’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP) lags the national average, an observation that can be said of two-thirds of all states. “Oregon’s current output per capita is $61,600, compared with the nation’s $68,900,” the article says. “In terms of productivity, Oregon has narrowed the gap only 5 percentage points since 1997.” Later on, the piece describes the gap as having “gone down slightly.”*

What the OJP article fails to recognize is that those 5 percentage points translate into Oregon erasing the gap in per capita GDP by about one-third. That’s hardly a slight accomplishment.  

Indeed, only a minority of states — about one third of all states — saw their per capita GDP outpace the national average during this period. Oregon is in this group, coming in with the nation’s 7th highest per capita GDP growth since 1997. 

Here’s another way to look at it: In 1997, Oregon ranked 39th in the nation in terms of per capita GDP. By 2024, Oregon had jumped to 26th.

The bottom line is that over the past two-plus decades, Oregon’s economy has done quite well relative to the rest of the nation. That’s an important fact to recognize, especially right now. 

For some time, Oregon’s big business lobby has been arguing that Oregon’s economy is woefully uncompetitive, a narrative embraced by Governor Kotek in her Prosperity Roadmap (and repeated without scrutiny by the OJP article). By all appearances, this narrative aims to set the stage for cutting taxes on corporations and the rich, while slashing regulations — the same neoliberal playbook that has failed the vast majority of Oregonians and the people of this nation for over four decades.

Oregon’s biggest economic challenge is not anemic growth or insufficient “prosperity” as defined by Governor Kotek and the big business lobby. It’s the fact that the economic gains of the past several decades have mostly flowed into the hands of the wealthy few. 

What Oregonians need right now, more than ever, is shared prosperity. Sadly, that does not appear to be the offer on the table.

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* The original version of the OJP story incorrectly reported that the gap between Oregon and the national average “is getting worse.” The updated version of the article corrects the mistake, recognizing that the gap has been narrowing, but describes the change as slight in the disclosure statement at the bottom of the story.