Despite what you may have heard, Oregon is a very cost-competitive place to do business.
- Oregon has the #2 best business tax environment in the U.S.
Ernst & Young 2011 - Oregon ranks in top 10 for overall business climate
Business Facilities, 2009 - Oregon ranks #6 best state for business
Forbes, 2010
A multi-state cost comparison for a 20-employee and a 200-employee manufacturing firm is available at: http://www.oregon4biz.com/The-Oregon-Advantage/Costs/comp.php
In comparison to other Oregon locations, Douglas County maintains a very competitive tax and cost structure for business. First, in terms of development:
- Low industrial land costs ($50,000-$75,000 per acre)–with credits available for job creation when purchasing County-owned land.
- NO County-wide System Development Charges or impact fees
And also in terms of on-going costs:
- Very low (under $10/$1000) property taxes
- Competitive wage rates
- Excellent Utility Costs
- $.04 to $.065 per kwh for industrial electricity (Pacific Power)
- $.50 per therm for moderate industrial natural gas users; $.15 to as low as $.06 per therm for high demand users (Avista)
- Extremely low combined heating/cooling degree days for the Pacific NW
