NAICS 23

Construction in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR

Metro Market Score 67.3 (Difficult), ranked #320 of 342 metros. 9,352 establishments, 79,920 jobs.

Metro Market Score 67.3

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

💰High-Cost Market

Market conditions for construction in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro are tougher than average. The 67.3 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, slowing employment, and an already crowded field. Rank: #320 of 342 metros.

Industry Concentration

77.2

LQ: 1.25

Rank #264 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

94.4

$90,196 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 34.2

Employment growth index

Rank #226 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

23.1

YoY wage change index

9,352 Construction Firms in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro

9,352

Establishments

-1.3% YoY

79,920

Total Employment

+0.0% YoY

$90,196

Average Annual Wage

+0.0% YoY

1.25

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Oregon

#8 of 8

construction metros in state

Oregon state rank

#44 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

+12.5

worse than median (54.8)

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro vs Oregon Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Oregon overall. The state ranks #44/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro	OR Statewide
Overall Score	67.3 Difficult	54.8 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#320 of 342 metros	#44 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro

Retail Trade 63.6 Accommodation and Food Services 63.9 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 69.3 Finance and Insurance 69.7 Information 70.7 Other Services 73.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 76.3

Construction in Other Oregon Metros

Grants Pass 36.8 #76/342 Corvallis 45.0 #146/342 Bend 47.8 #171/342 Eugene-Springfield 53.9 #233/342 Medford 54.8 #243/342 Albany 56.4 #259/342 Salem 63.0 #299/342

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro's 67.3 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 66.9 #319/342 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 68.0 #321/342 Kahului-Wailuku, HI 68.1 #322/342 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 68.3 #323/342 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 68.4 #324/342 Evansville, IN 66.1 #317/342 York-Hanover, PA 66.1 #318/342 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 68.6 #325/342 Ogden, UT 65.9 #316/342 Springfield, MA 65.7 #315/342

Construction in States Bordering Oregon

State-level entry risk for construction in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Nevada 39.8 #20/51 California 47.8 #32/51 Washington 58.1 #46/51 Idaho 58.4 #48/51

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro's construction sector, the wage competitiveness component (94.4) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment