Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Salem, OR MSA — October 2026
Salem's job growth narrows to healthcare while other sectors stall.
Salem MSA unemployment held at 4.9% in August versus Oregon's 5.1%, but payrolls fell 200 jobs for the month even as healthcare employment has grown nearly 20% over three years.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Salem MSA unemployment rate: 4.9% — vs. 5.1% Oregon, 4.2% U.S. (August/September 2026)
- Salem payroll employment, monthly change: -200 jobs — August vs. July 2026, still +2,800 (1.5%) year-over-year
- Oregon hard-to-fill vacancy share: 61% — of 45,378 statewide vacancies, spring 2026 survey
- Healthcare employment growth, 3-year: ~20% — Salem MSA, vs. flat/declining construction and prof. services
Key takeaways
Salem's job growth is concentrated in healthcare.
Healthcare and social assistance drove nearly 20% growth over three years while construction sits 500 jobs below last year and professional and business services lost 400 jobs in August alone. A single-sector growth engine leaves the metro's overall economic momentum more exposed if healthcare demand cools.
Low unemployment coexists with hard-to-fill roles statewide.
Oregon employers reported 45,378 vacancies in spring 2026, with 61% called difficult to fill, even as the statewide jobless rate sits at 5.0%. That combination points to a labor-supply mismatch, relevant for any public or private body weighing workforce development investment.
Salem's unemployment edge over Oregon is modest.
Salem's 4.9% August rate beat the state's 5.1%, but both remain well above the national 4.2%, and Oregon's 19-month stretch between 5.0% and 5.3% reflects a low-hire, low-fire pattern. Commerce leaders should read the local advantage as relative stability.
Wage-versus-inflation gap squeezes local consumer spending power.
National median weekly earnings rose 1.5% against 3.5% CPI growth in Q3, and Oregon has fallen to 30th nationally in wage growth since 2020 with $73 billion in cumulative missing wages. Softer real purchasing power locally is a demand-side risk for retail and consumer-facing businesses even where payrolls hold steady.
Median advertised pay by role — Salem, OR MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $30,501 | $34,840 | $38,480 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $31,527 | $34,320 | $35,880 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $35,535 | $42,595 | $43,680 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $62,400 | $75,912 | $84,500 | Moderate decline | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $32,361 | $38,356 | $50,240 | Moderate increase | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $38,848 | $42,640 | $48,880 | Stable | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $79,839 | $93,761 | $109,200 | Significant increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $33,384 | $37,440 | $43,045 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $36,403 | $41,600 | $46,800 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $32,737 | $43,107 | $48,660 | Significant increase | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $43,680 | $53,040 | $55,120 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $39,540 | $47,597 | $52,000 | Moderate decline | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $62,052 | $67,953 | $72,828 | Significant decline | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $94,267 | $111,492 | $118,951 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $128,368 | $168,563 | $182,135 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $116,966 | $148,275 | $165,489 | Moderate increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $67,957 | $79,700 | $92,592 | Stable | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $93,857 | $122,162 | $127,372 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $59,841 | $83,422 | $93,672 | Significant increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $55,120 | $79,089 | $90,101 | Significant decline | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $74,251 | $84,722 | $97,466 | Stable | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $44,751 | $76,710 | $78,484 | Moderate increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $82,425 | $117,177 | $140,138 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $62,370 | $89,000 | $109,959 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $83,090 | $87,576 | $103,215 | Stable | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $65,520 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $113,065 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $46,800 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $64,207 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Information | $151,949 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $86,306 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $89,242 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $47,840 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $36,566 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Government | $70,964 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Salem MSA payroll employment slipped by 200 jobs in August but held 2,800 jobs above year-ago levels, with unemployment at 4.9% — stable and still below Oregon's statewide 5.0% rate. Healthcare and social assistance continues to anchor local growth, up nearly 20% over three years, while construction remains 500 jobs below last year and professional and business services lost 400 jobs in a single month, pointing to a local economy where gains are concentrated in healthcare and social assistance.
What it means
Concentrated sector growth means the local business climate is uneven: healthcare-adjacent commerce and services have room to expand, while sectors tied to professional services and construction face a softer demand backdrop that argues for caution on new local investment timing. Oregon's spring 2026 vacancy survey found 45,378 open positions statewide with 61% rated difficult to fill, a signal that labor supply constraints are the binding issue for expansion-minded commerce leaders in sectors outside healthcare. Current conditions suggest commerce and economic development leaders track sector-specific vacancy difficulty alongside headline unemployment when advising on local business investment timing.
Looking ahead
Expected release: Oregon Employment Department's September county-level data for Marion and Polk counties, and BLS metro-level figures due December 2, will show whether Salem's August dip was a pause or the start of a trend. Watch whether the 2,800-job annual cushion narrows.
Sector watch: PacificSource's fourth round of layoffs since September 2025 — 134 positions across Springfield, Bend, Salem and Portland effective December 31 — tests whether healthcare, Salem's primary growth engine, is beginning to soften at the edges.
Structural headwind: Oregon's labor force contraction, linked to accelerating baby boomer retirement, is a demographic constraint on business expansion independent of demand conditions. Track whether labor force participation locally moves against the state trend.
Policy signal to monitor: Federal immigration enforcement activity and tariff policy continue to shape labor supply and input costs nationally; neither carries a clear partisan read yet at the metro level, but commerce leaders should watch for Salem-specific effects on agriculture-adjacent and manufacturing supply chains given the region's mix.
Sources
- Salem Business Journal — Salem payroll employment fell 200 jobs in August, up 2,800 year-over-year
- Oregon Employment Department — Salem unemployment at 4.9% in August vs. Oregon's 5.1%
- Oregon Employment Department — 45,378 vacancies statewide in spring 2026, 61% difficult to fill
- Oregon Office of Economic Analysis — Oregon ranks 30th nationally for wage growth 2020-2026, $73B missing wages
- Oregon WARN Act filings — PacificSource WARN notice for 134 workers across Springfield, Bend, Salem, Portland
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National median weekly earnings rose 1.5% vs. 3.5% CPI gain, Q3 2026
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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