by Sarah Cunningham

When looking for a job in your field, determining which region pays the most could be a sound strategy. In 2018, there were 27 occupations where workers in Southwestern Oregon earned higher median wages than in any other region in the state. In 2017, 6 percent of workers in the region, or one out of 17 workers, were employed in one of these occupations.

The wage gap between occupations where Southwestern workers earned the most and the second highest-paying region ranged from less than 1 percent to as much as 20 percent. Occupations where the wage gap was most pronounced include machine feeders and off bearers ($18.86, 20% higher than the next highest-paying region), cement masons and concrete finishers ($27.51, 13%), and packaging and filling machine operators and tenders ($18.34, 13%). Although there was a diverse range of occupations for which Southwestern workers earned the most, over one-third (37%) of the occupations were production jobs.