Heard the News? Information Jobs Are DwindlingFebruary 2, 2017 Northwest Oregon’s information jobs have declined by 41 percent since 2001. The information industry includes television, radio, broadcasting, newspapers, cable, publishing, motion picture, sound recording, and internet service providers.
In the five Northwest Oregon counties (Benton, Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln, and Tillamook) counties, there were about 1,700 information jobs in 2001. By 2015, that number had dropped by 670 jobs to 1,030 jobs. Benton County has the largest information sector in the area with 590 jobs (57%), followed by Lincoln (17%) and Clatsop (16%). Columbia and Tillamook counties have an equal amount with 50 information jobs each (5%).
Some of the more common jobs within the information sector include telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, software developers, radio and television announcers, customer service representatives, and electronics engineers.
Average wages for the information industry tend to be higher than county averages across all industries. Benton County had the highest information sector average wage within NW Oregon at $68,062 in 2015, followed by Columbia ($42,632), Clatsop ($39,316), Lincoln ($37,761), and Tillamook ($34,425).