Portland sits at the very top of the range for this role in Oregon — among the highest-paying cities in the state for this occupation. That's noticeably below the national average for economists, worth factoring into any relocation math. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.
Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Portland ranks #21 for cost of living and #24 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.
| City | Mean salary | vs. Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Albany, New York | $101,340 | -15.4% |
| Ann Arbor, Michigan | $131,430 | +9.8% |
| Austin, Texas | $132,100 | +10.3% |
| Baltimore, Maryland | $147,800 | +23.4% |
| Dallas, Texas | $123,570 | +3.2% |
| Detroit, Michigan | $118,230 | -1.3% |
| Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | $82,020 | -31.5% |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | $130,110 | +8.7% |
| Jacksonville, Florida | $137,760 | +15.0% |
| Lansing, Michigan | $97,700 | -18.4% |
| Los Angeles, California | $155,860 | +30.2% |
| Miami, Florida | $129,000 | +7.7% |
| New York, New York | $184,860 | +54.4% |
| Olympia, Washington | $107,210 | -10.5% |
| Orlando, Florida | $106,870 | -10.7% |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $149,490 | +24.8% |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | $128,880 | +7.6% |
| Richmond, Virginia | $137,150 | +14.5% |
| Riverside, California | $145,870 | +21.8% |
| Sacramento, California | $101,690 | -15.1% |
| Salem, Oregon | $118,550 | -1.0% |
| San Antonio, Texas | $115,440 | -3.6% |
| San Diego, California | $145,410 | +21.4% |
| San Francisco, California | $145,630 | +21.6% |
| Seattle, Washington | $131,660 | +10.0% |
| Tallahassee, Florida | $78,740 | -34.2% |
| Tampa, Florida | $111,930 | -6.5% |
| Virginia Beach, Virginia | $109,300 | -8.7% |
This metro area spans more than one state — where you actually pay income tax depends on where you work, not just where BLS assigns the area. Choose your work state:
Single filer, federal + state tax (where the selected state levies one) + FICA, 2025 rates, for whichever state you select above. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional.
These notes add local color around Portland, Oregon: comfort ranges, budget constraints and location trade-offs reported in public discussions.
Discussion highlights that calculators may imply roughly 2x gross income for comparable standard of living, while some employers offer only about 10% location premiums. Tech total compensation can be an exception, so the page should distinguish salary from total compensation.
Anecdotal public-discussion signals, not official salary data, rent data or financial advice. Read this alongside the official figures on the page.
Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.
The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.
Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.
