Despite what you may have heard, Oregon is a very cost-competitive place to do business.

• #1 Lowest Total Effective Business Tax Rate, Ernst & Young C.O.S.T. Study, 2012
• Top 10 Lowest Cost of Doing Business,  CNBC, 2011

The Partnership recently up-dated a multi-state cost comparison for a 20-employee and a 200-employee manufacturing firm.

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 — 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