{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","contentId":"0000019d-987e-d05b-a7bd-fdfefb25000a","url":"https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/community/amazon-investment-oregon-jobs-infrastructure-small-business","headline":"5 ways Amazon is investing in Oregon","description":"Amazon's investments are boosting Oregon's economy while creating opportunities for Oregonians.","datePublished":"2026-04-29T18:56:44.152Z","dateModified":"2026-04-29T18:56:44.152Z","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amazon Staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/08549ff/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1125x1125+438+0/resize/84x84!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F47%2F6d%2F7fe296e642859c7ba2a629eda3ba%2Famazon-logo-hero-images-2024.jpg","width":"84","height":"84"}}],"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/fca3c9c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4443x2962+412+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F04%2F9d%2Fc5d94fcd4be28770019a37f7d2b3%2Faerial-0-hermiston-bcb-0446a.jpg","width":"300","height":"200"},"articleBody":"![Hermiston Oregon water tower with logo featuring watermelon and tagline Where Life is Sweet at sunset\n](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/fca3c9c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4443x2962+412+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F04%2F9d%2Fc5d94fcd4be28770019a37f7d2b3%2Faerial-0-hermiston-bcb-0446a.jpg)\n\n# 5 ways Amazon is investing in Oregon\n\n*Amazon's investments are boosting Oregon's economy while creating opportunities for Oregonians.*\n\n---\n\n## Key takeaways\n\n- Amazon has invested $60 billion in Oregon since 2010, including infrastructure and compensation to employees.\n- The company has contributed $35+ billion to the state's economy.\n- Amazon partners with seven Oregon educational institutions through its Career Choice program, offering employees prepaid tuition for skills development.\n\n---\n\nFor more than 30 years, Amazon has been investing across the United States, strengthening local economies, and creating opportunities for communities nationwide. Oregon is a prime example of this commitment, with Amazon building a substantial presence in the state since 2010.\n\n![inside a data center in eastern Oregon. Data center engineer troubleshooting with computer](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/3833d41/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1600x900+0+0/resize/767x431!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Ff0%2Fd7%2F06cbb6644e42aa70247c1950a7c9%2Finline-002-employee-final-color-mix-v2-uncompressed-mov-00-05-06-09-still033-copy.JPG)\n*[Fidel Contreras, data center technician](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/aws-data-center-inside) in eastern Oregon.*\n\nToday, Oregon serves as a thriving innovation and logistics hub for Amazon, with investments spanning from fulfillment centers to Whole Foods Market retail locations and extensive cloud computing infrastructure. The company's economic impact extends beyond direct employment, supporting thousands of additional jobs, and helping local businesses reach customers around the world.\n\nHere are four ways Amazon is investing in Oregon:\n\nAmazon provides [competitive wages and comprehensive benefits](https://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits) from Day 1. Core operations employees in customer fulfillment and transportation earn an average hourly base wage of more than $24, with total compensation averaging more than $32 an hour when including benefits. These benefits include health, vision, and dental insurance starting on Day 1, free mental health resources, up to 20 weeks of fully paid parental leave, a 401(k) with 50% company match, [a grocery discount](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-us-employee-grocery-discount)[a grocery discount](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-us-employee-grocery-discount), and flexible time-off options that increase with tenure.\n\nBeyond direct jobs, Amazon's presence in Oregon supports approximately 30,000 indirect jobs in industries such as construction, logistics, and professional services.\n\n![Smiling woman wearing glasses and red headband working in Amazon fulfillment facility](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/6ea961b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1688x1125+21+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fe5%2F89%2F9a9237e4474fbbf1bc660fe97a27%2Fdgt2-32-2000.jpg)\n\n- [Amazon is investing over $1 billion to raise pay and lower health care costs for US fulfillment and transportation employees](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-wage-increase-2025-fulfillment-transportation-employees)\n\nAmazon is committed to preparing its workforce for future opportunities through comprehensive education and skills training programs. Since 2019, more than 425,000 U.S. employees have participated in these free initiatives.\n\n![A teacher and a teacher observing a computer that is open and laid on a desk top.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/a1c58aa/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1600x900+0+0/resize/767x431!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F53%2F43%2F9fba3e1046d895339fe6f7f35d09%2Faws-story-1.jpg)\n*A student and teacher Pete Hernberg. With AWS, Hernberg created the [Data Center Technician Training Program](https://www.bluecc.edu/academics/programs/data-center-technician), which [prepares local people with no previous tech experience for careers in the cloud](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/aws-helped-me-learn-how-to-build-a-computer-from-scratch-heres-how-you-can-do-the-same).*\n\nIn Oregon, Amazon partners with seven educational institutions through its Career Choice program, which prepays 100% of tuition for employees pursuing further education. These partnerships with colleges and universities across the state help Amazon employees gain in-demand skills that can propel them into new careers. From Machine Learning University to Career Choice, these programs represent Amazon's investment in developing talent and creating pathways to opportunity for its workforce.\n\n![A photo of an Amazon employee taking an online course on desktop and laptop devices.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/76bc8f7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1688x1125+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F27%2F7a%2F3953910b4dffa21d643d59a540f2%2Fupskilling1.jpg)\n\n- [8 free skills training programs that help Amazon employees land higher-paying roles](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/our-upskilling-2025-programs)\n\nSince 2010, Amazon has invested $60 billion in Oregon's infrastructure and employee compensation, contributing $35 billion to the state's gross domestic product.\n\nThese investments include eight [fulfillment and sortation centers](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/tag/fulfillment-center), seven delivery stations, and a Prime Now fulfillment center, among others. The company has also expanded its retail footprint with 10 Whole Foods Market locations across the state. Amazon continues to grow its sustainable infrastructure as well, with two facilities featuring on-site solar power and a wind farm powering its operations across Oregon. In total, the company's four energy projects generate enough carbon-free energy to power more than 31,000 homes. \n\nAmazon also works closely with local utilities to improve water systems in the communities where we operate our data centers. In Eastern Oregon, Amazon has committed to investing nearly $400 million in local water infrastructure projects to expand water capacity, improve system reliability, and support future growth across the region.\n\nAmazon provides a powerful opportunity for Oregon's entrepreneurs and small businesses to reach customers worldwide. In 2025, Oregon-based independent sellers sold more than 41 million items through Amazon's store, with the average independent seller generating approximately $325,000 in annual sales.\n\n![A photo of cookies decorated as AWS Think Big logos and robots cooling on cooling racks. A baker is standing behind the cookies.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/8a7a5bc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1320x743+0+0/resize/767x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fd8%2F8a%2Ff96bdca8492b82d0acf7b8ccb88e%2Fxocolatl-cookies-1.jpg)\n*Alma Nuñez Lezama, owner of [Xocolatl Bakery](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/aws-xocolatl-bakery-eastern-oregon), and her son Alberto.*\n\nThese independent sellers—most of which are small and medium-sized businesses—represent more than 60% of sales in Amazon's store. Their success contributes significantly to local economies, with more than 65% of U.S. independent sellers employing at least one person within 50 miles of their primary business location. By providing infrastructure, logistics support, and access to millions of customers, Amazon enables Oregon's small businesses to scale their operations and create additional jobs throughout the state.\n\n![An Amazon delivery van is parked on the side of a road next to a pasture of cattle.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/5485366/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1688x1125+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F1e%2Fbb%2F00641e7c44b38f1f83f0e4e7ca90%2Fabout-amazon-hero-hero001-aboutamazon-rsr-rural-southdakota-dsc-6451-4000x2667.jpg)\n\n- [Amazon’s bringing faster Prime delivery speeds to thousands of smaller cities, towns, and rural communities](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/transportation/rural-small-town-america-us-prime-same-next-day-delivery)\n\nAmazon uses its global scale and strengths to make a positive impact in communities. Working with trusted community partners, we address critical needs—food security, education, disaster relief—using our logistics, technology, and innovation, while investing as a good neighbor in the communities where our employees live and work.\n\n![A photo of a group of students and teachers at a ribbon cutting of an AWS Think Big Space in eastern Oregon.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/da239c1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1800x1012+0+0/resize/767x431!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F1c%2Fa9%2F10121fb446de931ebbcb238a8131%2Fhero-002-246a5618-copy.JPG)\n*A group of students and teachers cut the ribbon at a new AWS Think Big Space in eastern Oregon.*\n\nAmazon has been operating data centers in Eastern Oregon since 2011 and has committed nearly $400 million to improve local water infrastructure, expanding water capacity and system reliability for the benefit of the broader community. Amazon's water replenishment projects in the region will [return 957 million gallons of water a year to local ecosystems](https://press.aboutamazon.com/aws/2026/9/how-amazon-is-helping-protect-water-resources-in-eastern-oregon)—nearly four times the total water used to cool its data centers in 2025.\n\n![Worker in safety vest amid industrial water pipe labels](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/a22a2c6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1688x1125+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F37%2F05%2Fe97abd544c83b08cb5d48929dd74%2Fabout-amazon-hero-bht-1633b.jpg)\n\n- [Amazon's data centers are 7x more water-efficient than the industry average. Here’s how we do it. ](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/sustainability/amazon-data-center-water-usage)\n\nAmazon's Eastern Oregon data centers use outside air for cooling 93% of the year, relying on water only during the hottest hours. Total water use across Amazon's Oregon data center operations declined from 284 million gallons in 2024 to 242 million gallons in 2025. Through investments in water infrastructure, more efficient operations, and replenishment projects that strengthen local watersheds, Amazon is working to support reliable, resilient water systems for Eastern Oregon's future.\n\nAmazon's investment in Oregon reflects the company's broader commitment to creating economic opportunity across America. Through job creation, workforce development, infrastructure investments, and small business support, Amazon continues to partner with communities throughout the state to build a stronger, more resilient local economy.\n\nAmazon's investment in Oregon reflects the company's broader commitment to creating economic opportunity across America. Through job creation, workforce development, infrastructure investments, and small business support, Amazon continues to partner with communities throughout Oregon to build a stronger, more resilient local economy.\n\nRead more about how [Amazon is investing in Oregon](https://www.aboutamazon.com/impact/amazon-oregon) and in the [U.S.](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/job-creation-and-investment/amazon-economic-impact-report-2025)","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"About Amazon","url":"https://www.aboutamazon.com","sameAs":["https://x.com/amazonnews","https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon","https://www.instagram.com/amazonnews"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/bd/8f/88e7b0314cc2bd05b9de3155a0fe/amazon-news.svg"},"parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Amazon","url":"https://www.amazon.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3884","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company)","https://x.com/Amazon"]}}}