Loading diagnostic...
Cliff-Zone Families
90,625
Total Wage Suppression
$66.0M
State Avg Cliff Zone
15.4%
The benefits cliff — sometimes called the welfare cliff or cliff effect — occurs when families lose public benefits faster than they can replace them through increased earnings. In Oregon, an estimated 90,625 families across 36 counties earn between 100–200% of the Federal Poverty Level, where benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, childcare subsidies, and housing assistance phase out. The CLIFF Index measures this exposure at the county level, including peak marginal effective tax rates, wage suppression estimates, and advancement thresholds. Click any county below for the full diagnostic report.
| CountyCounty↕ | PopulationPopulation↕ | Cliff Zone %Cliff Zone %↕ | Families AffectedFamilies↓ | Wage SuppressionWage Gap↕ | Peak METRPeak METR↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multnomah County | 801,477 | 13.9% | 14,297 | $10.4M | 576% |
| Washington County | 603,947 | 10.9% | 10,079 | $7.3M | 576% |
| Marion County | 349,244 | 18.7% | 9,387 | $6.8M | 564% |
| Lane County | 384,207 | 17.5% | 8,925 | $6.5M | 564% |
| Clackamas County | 423,975 | 10.7% | 6,967 | $5.1M | 576% |
| Jackson County | 222,645 | 17.8% | 5,847 | $4.3M | 564% |
| Deschutes County | 206,334 | 13.9% | 4,380 | $3.2M | 566% |
| Linn County | 130,706 | 18.0% | 3,286 | $2.4M | 564% |
| Josephine County | 88,179 | 23.0% | 2,830 | $2.1M | 564% |
| Umatilla County | 79,940 | 21.8% | 2,727 | $2.0M | 564% |
| Douglas County | 112,072 | 18.9% | 2,645 | $1.9M | 564% |
| Yamhill County | 108,734 | 14.3% | 2,127 | $1.5M | 576% |
| Klamath County | 70,247 | 20.7% | 1,975 | $1.4M | 564% |
| Polk County | 89,662 | 15.3% | 1,861 | $1.4M | 564% |
| Benton County | 96,303 | 14.4% | 1,473 | $1.1M | 564% |
| Coos County | 64,827 | 19.0% | 1,468 | $1.1M | 564% |
| Columbia County | 53,493 | 17.2% | 1,389 | $1.0M | 576% |
| Lincoln County | 50,964 | 18.8% | 1,141 | $831K | 564% |
| Clatsop County | 41,363 | 17.4% | 962 | $700K | 564% |
| Malheur County | 31,954 | 25.6% | 934 | $680K | 564% |
| Union County | 26,144 | 18.7% | 823 | $599K | 564% |
| Curry County | 23,381 | 22.7% | 621 | $452K | 564% |
| Tillamook County | 27,496 | 17.5% | 590 | $430K | 564% |
| Jefferson County | 25,203 | 17.3% | 571 | $416K | 564% |
| Crook County | 26,277 | 13.8% | 514 | $374K | 564% |
| Wasco County | 26,552 | 18.9% | 512 | $373K | 564% |
| Morrow County | 12,300 | 24.4% | 447 | $325K | 564% |
| Hood River County | 23,905 | 13.8% | 394 | $287K | 573% |
| Baker County | 16,840 | 18.9% | 370 | $269K | 564% |
| Harney County | 7,499 | 29.6% | 332 | $242K | 564% |
| Wallowa County | 7,553 | 23.6% | 247 | $180K | 564% |
| Lake County | 8,267 | 20.2% | 190 | $138K | 564% |
| Grant County | 7,209 | 17.9% | 184 | $134K | 564% |
| Sherman County | 1,938 | 16.9% | 52 | $38K | 564% |
| Wheeler County | 1,485 | 22.4% | 43 | $31K | 564% |
| Gilliam County | 1,971 | 14.6% | 35 | $25K | 564% |
36 of 36 counties shown. Click any county for full diagnostic.