Everyone wants to know everyone else’s business, especially when it comes to salaries, but flat-out asking someone how much they make is pretty gauche. That’s why we did the asking for you. Takeaways? Thousands are still surviving on less than a living wage; we value college football more than Kate Brown; and despite all of Portland’s progressive posturing, it still ranks in the bottom quarter for gender wage gaps amongst major US cities. 

$11.25 

Minimum wage in Oregon, though in the Portland metro area it’s $12.50—think Tin House interns, Grand Central Bakery baristas, and cannabis company budtenders. (But living wage? That’s $14.59 for a person in the metro area with no dependents.)

$98,600

Salary for Kate Brown, the fourth-lowest-paid US governor (after Maine, Colorado & Arizona)

$2,320,000

2019 base salary for the Portland Timbers’ Diego Valeri. (Major League Soccer’s minimum salary was $56,000—more than triple the 2019 minimum in the National Women’s Soccer League.)

$75,280

Annual mean wage in Oregon for middle school teachers—the real heroes of our time

$2.6 million

Salary for Oregon’s highest-paid public servant, Ducks football coach Mario Cristobal. Note: He’s also eligible for a whopping bonus of more than $2 million.

$17.76

The patriotic minimum rate per hour student DJs at Portland State get paid for spinning at a live, school-sponsored event

$929,581

Yearly income of former OHSU president Joseph Robertson, who retired with full PERS benefits (We guess they call it the golden years for a reason.)

$38.3 billion

Estimated net worth of native Oregonian Phil Knight, making him the state’s wealthiest resident for the umpteenth year in a row