Portland economy losing ground at ‘alarming’ rate, study shows

Portland is losing ground at an ‘alarming’ rate, according to a new study examining nearly 30 indicators of where the city’s economy is headed. Portland’s Economic Scorecard 2014-2015, to be released Tuesday by the Portland Community Chamber, shows that the city has experienced lackluster improvement – or no improvement – in 14 of the 28 economic indicators, including job growth, average wage, property taxes, population growth and affordability of housing. Despite the nation’s overall economic recovery, several components of Portland’s economy have gotten worse over the past year, it found. Bill Becker, president of the Portland Community Chamber, who called the results ‘alarming,’ said the study will help city officials and business leaders identify the barriers preventing businesses and people from moving to Portland. Ultimately, chamber officials hope to use the data to affect policy decisions within the city, he said. ‘Our job as a chamber is to take this data and act on it,’ Becker said, according to pressherald.com