Wyden, Merkley Announce $30.1 Million in PILT Payments to Support Vital Services in Oregon 

June 27, 2024

Program provides funds to communities that support Oregon’s public lands, waters; invests in firefighters, police, schools, road construction

WASHINGTON D.C.— U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced counties throughout Oregon will receive more than $30.1 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2024. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT payments help to defray the costs associated with maintaining important community services.  

“Oregonians cherish our public lands, and we need to make sure local communities have all the tools they need to help improve quality of life and steward our natural treasures,” Wyden said. “These PILT payments are vital to help local governments carry out necessary services like firefighting, search-and-rescue operations, road construction, schools and police protection. I’m gratified to see PILT payments to Oregon are up nearly $3 million over 2023, and I’ll continue to monitor payments to ensure each county gets its fair share.”   

“Public lands are a treasure in rural Oregon, but they must not prevent communities from having the resources they need to pay for quality schools, emergency services, and safe infrastructure,” Merkley said. “This federal investment is vital for Oregonian’s communities. I will keep working to protect PILT payments so communities and families across Oregon have the stability they deserve.”

PILT payments are made for tax-exempt federal lands administered by federal bureaus including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Payments are calculated based on the number of acres of federal land within each county or jurisdiction and the population of that county or jurisdiction.  

Individual payments may vary from year to year as a result of changes in acreage data, which are updated annually by the federal agency administering the land; prior-year federal revenue-sharing payments reported annually by the governor of each state; and inflationary adjustments using the Consumer Price Index and population data, which are updated using information from the U.S. Census Bureau. Senators Wyden and Merkley continue to monitor PILT payments closely and will advocate for fair payments for every county.  

Here is a breakdown of PILT payments per Oregon county:

Oregon CountyPILT PaymentTotal Acres of Federal Land
Baker$1,576,6901,016,410
Benton$168,79274,430
Clackamas$786,904617,455
Clatsop$7,9911,578
Columbia                    $36,69610,961
Coos                  $662,003244,052
Crook$2,073,282940,461
Curry$1,072,828 687,737
Deschutes$3,665,2711,445,487
Douglas$796,1531,659,704
Gilliam$149,67545,757
Grant$846,9411,765,580
Harney$1,474,0264,462,615
Hood River$291,225205,855
Jackson$1,933,487909,922
Jefferson$640,626305,319
Josephine$1,743,651714,226
Klamath$1,070,9882,232,639
Lake$1,474,0263,692,647
Lane$833,8371,738,261
Lincoln$92,572192,982
Linn$269,343561,487
Malheur$3,536,3534,299,188
Marion$108,456226,094
Morrow$371,351150,971
Multnomah$65,40182,322
Polk    $137,86841,984
Sherman$177,496253,762 
Tillamook$65,474            136,490
Umatilla$1,310,765420,250
Union$1,552,674624,214
Wallowa$674,117            1,171,213
Wasco$177,360            220,074
Washington$46,816            13,984
Wheeler$144,906           302,080
Yamhill$79,410            58,758
Total Oregon PILT Payments for 2024$30,115,45431,326,859

A full list of funding by state and county is available on the Department’s Payments in Lieu of Taxes page.