In August, after Russia halted wheat exports due to severe drought, cash bids jumped for wheat shipped through Portland.
By research editor Brandon Sawyer
In August, after Russia halted wheat exports due to severe drought, cash bids jumped for wheat shipped through Portland. November bids for high-protein spring wheat averaged $10.60 a bushel, while soft white wheat reached $6.29, both rising 34% over last year’s price. The value of 2009’s harvest was $223.6 million, a 35% decrease from 2008 due to lower prices and a smaller crop. Oregon has been planting more wheat, increasing production 20% in 2010.
| All “latest” numbers are for October 2010 unless otherwise noted. | Latest Month | Previous Month | Previous Year | Annual Change |
| EMPLOYMENT/BUSINESS LISTINGS | ||||
| Total employment State of Oregon, thousands | 1,789.7 | 1,783.7 | 1,745.2 | 2.6% |
| Total unemployment State of Oregon, thousands | 196.2 | 194.6 | 200.9 | -2.3% |
| Unemployment rate Ore. civilian labor force, seasonally adjusted | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.9% | -0.4 |
| Portland/Vancouver MSA; Employed Seven counties, thousands | 1,068.6 | 1,061.2 | 1,042.8 | 2.5% |
| Portland/Vancouver MSA; Unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted | 10.4% | 10.5% | 11.1% | -0.7 |
| Bend MSA; Employed Deschutes County, thousands | 68.7 | 69.8 | 68.6 | 0.2% |
| Bend MSA; Unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted | 15.3% | 15.4% | 15.4% | -0.1 |
| Corvallis MSA; Employed Benton County, thousands | 41.1 | 39.7 | 40.1 | 2.5% |
| Corvallis MSA; Unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted | 7.2% | 7.1% | 7.8% | -0.6 |
| Eugene/Springfield MSA; Employed Lane County, thousands | 165.2 | 161.8 | 159.7 | 3.4% |
| Eugene/Springfield MSA; Unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted | 11.1% | 11.0% | 12.1% | -1.0 |
| Medford/Ashland MSA; Employed Jackson County, thousands | 93.2 | 92.3 | 89.9 | 3.7% |
| Medford/Ashland MSA; Unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted | 13.3% | 13.4% | 13.2% | 0.1 |
| Salem MSA; Employed Marion and Polk counties, thousands | 181.2 | 183.1 | 177.5 | 2.1% |
| Salem MSA; Unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted | 11.1% | 11.0% | 11.1% | 0.0 |
| The Coast; Employed Five counties, thousands | 85.0 | 86.2 | 84.7 | 0.3% |
| The Coast; Unemployment rate | 10.5% | 9.8% | 10.1% | 0.4 |
| Central Oregon; Employed Eight counties, thousands | 114.2 | 116.3 | 113.0 | 1.0% |
| Central Oregon; Unemployment rate | 12.1% | 11.7% | 12.1% | 0.0 |
| Eastern Oregon; Employed Nine counties, thousands | 87.6 | 88.4 | 84.3 | 3.9% |
| Eastern Oregon; Unemployment rate | 8.7% | 8.7% | 8.9% | -0.2 |
| Help wanted ad count The Oregonian, Portland (November) | 1,029 | 1,507 | 1,470 | -30.0% |
| Help wanted ad count The Bulletin, Bend (November) | 800 | 867 | 897 | -10.8% |
| Oregon online job vacancies, total ads in thousands (November) | 57.3 | 56.4 | 44.2 | 29.6% |
| Portland online job vacancies, total ads in thousands (November) | 39.4 | 40.2 | 30.7 | 28.3% |
| New business corporations New filings | 712 | 664 | 766 | -7.0% |
| Limited liability companies New filings | 1,831 | 1,712 | 1,930 | -5.1% |
| Business bankruptcies New filings (November) | 47 | 45 | 36 | 30.6% |
| Non-business bankruptcies New filings (November) | 1,373 | 1,566 | 1,456 | -5.7% |
| TRANSPORTATION | ||||
| Trucking Weight-mile tax receipts, millions | $20.1 | $18.2 | $22.4 | -10.0% |
| Shipping Port of Portland, total containers load and discharge | 15,735 | 18,977 | 13,406 | 17.4% |
| Shipping Port of Portland, number of calls by oceangoing vessels | 49 | 49 | 40 | 22.5% |
| Airline travel, PDX Passengers, thousands | 1,114.7 | 1,128.6 | 1,056.8 | 5.5% |
| Airline travel, Eugene Passengers, thousands | 67.3 | 69.0 | 60.7 | 11.0% |
| Airline travel, Medford Passengers, thousands | 55.2 | 55.1 | 52.0 | 6.3% |
| Airline travel, Redmond Passengers, thousands | 38.2 | 38.6 | 37.2 | 2.6% |
| REAL ESTATE/CONSTRUCTION PERMITS | ||||
| Portland-area homes New listings | 3,119 | 3,549 | 3,443 | -9.4% |
| Willamette Valley Multiple listing sales, millions | $82.4 | $84.2 | $122.8 | -32.9% |
| Central Oregon Multiple listing sales, millions | $94.0 | $101.8 | $125.5 | -25.1% |
| New Oregon single-family home permits | 413 | 505 | 483 | -14.5% |
| New Oregon multiple-housing unit permits | 81 | 63 | 200 | -59.5% |
| FARMING/NATURAL RESOURCES/ENERGY | ||||
| Wheat price No.1 soft white, at Portland, per bushel (November) | $6.29 | $6.00 | $4.89 | 28.6% |
| All farm products Farm price index (1990-1992=100%) (November) | 149 | 141 | 135 | 10.4% |
| All crops Farm price index (1990-1992=100%) (November) | 153 | 142 | 142 | 7.7% |
| Livestock Farm price index (1990-1992=100%) (November) | 139 | 138 | 118 | 17.8% |
| Lumber price from Random Lengths Publications, framing composite (November) | $275 | $255 | $245 | 12.2% |
| Lumber production Coast, inland and California redwood regions, Western softwood, million board feet | 968 | 966 | 997 | -2.9% |
| Power PGE, weather-adjusted, million kilowatt-hours (November) | 1,562.4 | 1,469.2 | 1,513.6 | 3.2% |
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