Why is Oregon’s hunger rate so high?

The Oregon Center for Public Policy traces the causes of Oregon’s high hunger rate to four main conditions. An ECONorthwest study adds a fifth condition:

1. Housing costs have soared while wages have stagnated. Oregon’s housing values shot up 129 percent during the past decade.
2. The gap between rich and poor grew four times faster in Oregon than nationally. The average family income of the richest fifth in Oregon grew 34 percent while the poorest fifth declined by 6 percent from the late 1980s to the late 1990s.
3. The changing nature of employment in Oregon has resulted in fewer family-wage industrial jobs and more low-wage service jobs.
4. Rural Oregonians fare poorly due to more seasonal employment that equals lower annual incomes overall.
5. An ECONorthwest study found a strong relationship between short distance, instate moves and food insecurity. Oregon ranked fourth in the number of households moving between 1999 and 2000. Frequent moves leave people more likely to be disconnected from family and social supports.