https://www.oregon.gov/dcbs/cost/Pages/ranking-by-state.aspx

Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) released their 2018 study on workers’ compensation rates among all 50 states and Washington, D.C. as part of their ongoing work to make workplaces in the state safer and keep costs low.

The rankings are based on premium rates in effect January 1, 2018 and the study is done biennially.

In 2018 New York had the highest rates, followed by California, New Jersey, Alaska and Delaware. Oregon ranked as the 46^th highest state so it was on the lower end of things, and the DCBS announced that rates are declining an average of 9.7 percent in 2019. Utah, West Virginia, Arkansas, Indiana and North Dakota all ranked as the states with the least expensive rates behind Oregon.

The national median rate was $1.70 per $100 of payroll, a 7.6 percent decrease from 2016 when the median was $1.84. New York, for example had a rate of $3.08 per $100 of payroll while North Dakota had a rate of $0.82 per $100. Oregon, ranked 46^th, had a rate of $1.15 per $100 of payroll. New York was the only state with a rate above $3 per $100 of payroll.

“Oregon continues to demonstrate that it’s possible to maintain low employer costs while providing strong support to workers,” Governor Kate Brown said. “We must remain committed to working together to balance employer rates and worker benefits, and to help injured workers heal and return to work quickly.”

The study calculated rates for each state using a mix of 50 industries with the highest workers’ compensation claims costs in Oregon. The study began in 1986 when Oregon had some of the highest rates in the country and has been conducted in even-numbered years ever since. It is used as a performance measure of the state’s efforts to improve their workers’ compensation system.

Check out a map here and the summary report here and read the press release from DCBS here.