Oregon’s minimum wage gets its last big increase July 1 under a 2016 law that phased in raises over six years. Unique in the nation, the law divides the state into three areas, with different minimum wages in each.
In the Portland metro area (within the Urban Growth Boundary), the hourly minimum wage will now be $14.75. Next, a “standard” tier will now be $13.50. It includes all of Northwest Oregon from Lane County north, east through Wasco County along the Gorge, plus Deschutes County in Central Oregon and Josephine and Jackson Counties in Southern Oregon. A third “non-urban” tier, which applies to 18 other counties in Eastern and Southwest Oregon, is now $12.50.
Starting July 1, 2023, the “standard” minimum wage rate will rise each year according to inflation. Portland’s wage will be $1.25 above that, and the non-urban wage $1 below.
