Portland's Business Climate Gets Mixed Reviews

PORTLAND, OR -- A national magazine on Tuesday ranked Portland as being the best place in the county for business and careers, but a survey among small-business owners says otherwise.

FORBES Magazine released its annual ranking of the Best Places for Business and Careers with Portland taking the top spot.

"The influx of educated young adults has been a boon to the $157 billion economy, with household incomes up 4% annually since 2011 and unemployment falling below 4% from a peak of 11.3% in 2009," the article reads. "Portland now has the ninth-highest concentration of highly educated millennials based on data from Experian."

But a survey also released Tuesday by San Francisco-based company Thumbtack, says small business owners give the city a C- when it comes to business friendliness.

"The small business owners we heard from in Portland were 4% less positive about their city’s support for small businesses than the national average, leading to their C- grade overall," said Lucas Puente, an economist with Thumbtack. "And compared to nearby cities, such as Seattle (A-) and San Francisco (C+), Portland scored lower."

The score from Thumb is 10 percent lower than the city received last year. The state of Oregon received a C grade.

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