You’ve heard the claim: Portland has one of the highest tax rates in the country. But is that actually true — and does it tell you anything useful?
This week I sat down with Marina Kaminsky, Research Manager at the North Star Civic Foundation, to get past the political spin and into the real numbers. Marina has spent years researching Oregon’s fiscal health — what local governments owe, what they collect, and what happens to communities when the math doesn’t add up. She brought receipts.
Here’s what we covered:
The 59th percentile. When you account for the full picture — income taxes, property taxes, utility charges, fees, and the fact that Oregon has no sales tax — Portlanders land in the 59th percentile for total tax burden compared to 150 similarly sized cities. That puts Portland around 80th on that list. Not first. Not worst. Solidly in the middle. That stat comes from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and it’s post-Preschool for All and Supportive Housing Services. If someone’s telling you a different story, ask them what they’re leaving out.
The income tax nuance. Yes, Oregon taxes people in the $4,000–$70,000 income range at one of the highest rates in the country for income taxes alone. But Minnesota charges a comparable income tax rate and a 6% sales tax on top of it. When you look at total state tax burden, Oregon’s no-sales-tax policy changes the picture significantly — especially for working families who spend most of what they earn.
The migration question. New research from Reed College economist Professor John Roarke tried to isolate the impact of Preschool for All on high-income migration. The findings: some high earners have left the county. But the data is noisy — PFA launched in the middle of a pandemic, a homelessness crisis, and racial justice protests. Separating the tax signal from all that other noise is genuinely hard. The immigration numbers into the county have held steady.
What the surveys don’t yet show. Marina’s team at North Star is launching a public survey in mid-April to understand how Portlanders actually perceive their tax burden, the quality of services they receive, and their appetite for future investment. The data doesn’t exist yet — and that’s exactly why this survey matters.
The cost of cutting. Rising PERS obligations are squeezing budgets statewide — this isn’t only a Portland problem or even just an Oregon problem. Public employee retirement promises made in the 1980s and 90s, premised on investment returns that never materialized, are now coming due everywhere. Understanding that context matters before blaming current elected officials for budget pressure that was baked in decades ago.
The bottom line: Be skeptical of anyone who gives you a one-number answer to a complicated question. Oregon’s tax system is a full basket — income taxes, property taxes, utility fees, charges, and the absence of a sales tax. When someone pulls out a single rate and says we’re the worst in the country, ask them what they’re not showing you. And when you hear that taxes should be cut, ask what services disappear with them — because that cost is just as real, even if it doesn’t show up on a balance sheet.
Links & Resources
Portland 2026: Your City, Your Choice Survey
North Star Civic Foundation: northstarcivic.org
Our Next 20 (Oregon fiscal health research): ournext20.org
Stumptown Stats (civic data dashboard): stumptownstats.org
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (city tax comparison data): lincolninst.edu
Episode sponsor: theliferecording.com
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