Clackamas County Housing Needs: 2 Out of Every 3 Job Openings from 2010-2020 Were Projected For Jobs Where Average Pay is Less than 60% of HUD Median Family Income.

I recently did a post HERE that took a look at how wages at the new Wal-Mart in Lake Oswego compare to HUD fair market rents and to HUD median family incomes. 

I decided to expand that to take a look at all industries and occupations in Clackamas County to see how wages for those jobs compared to the 60% of median family income eligibility standard used for tax credit projects. 

Fortunately, Oregon's Employment Department has a website where 2010 average salaries and employment and projected 2010-2020 job gains by area and occupations can be downloaded by geographic region, albeit with a tedious copy and paste process.  

Ever the glutton for punishment, I downloaded data for more than 650 occupations /136,000+ jobs for Clackamas County and created the Excel workbook on my SkyDrive HERE. (and embedded below).

The workbook shows by occupation, the number of 2010 jobs, the projected annual change in jobs 2010-2020, the average 2010 salary, and a % comparison of that wage to the HUD 2010 Portland MFI of $71,200. 

Observations: 

1. In 2010, 62% of jobs in Clackamas County had average wages of 60% or less of 2010 HUD Median Family Income. 
2. From 2010-2020 of the 6,451 projected annual job openings (new jobs or replacement of current workers)  4,258 (66%) will be for jobs that had 2010 average wages at or below 60% of HUD median family income.

Notes: 

• Scroll to the left/right up down in the embedded version to see the full worksheet.
•  In the Excel workbook, the occupation link in left column is active, clicking will provide MUCH more detail for that occupation, including current job openings in that occupation.
• File is set up in landscape mode with legal paper size; printed document runs 30 pages. 

 
Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.