Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $31 Million in PILT Payments to Support Vital Services in Oregon

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced counties throughout Oregon will receive a combined total of $31,027,890 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2025. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT funding helps to defray the costs associated with maintaining important community services in counties with federal lands. “Rural communities shouldn’t have to wonder if they will have the resources they need to pay for essential services and infrastructure,” said Merkley, who serves as Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee which funds PILT. “PILT funds firefighters, law enforcement, schools, and road construction—I will keep working to fully fund PILT so communities and families across Oregon have the stability they deserve.” “Oregonians count on these federal investments to provide key support for road and bridge maintenance, public safety including firefighters and law enforcement, and more throughout our state,” said Wyden . “I’m gratified that Oregon will be receiving more than $31 million this year to strengthen those community priorities, and I’ll keep battling to ensure each county gets its fair share of this longstanding and proven financial lifeline.” PILT compensate counties for tax-exempt federal lands administered by federal agencies, 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, 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. Senators Merkley and Wyden continue to monitor PILT allocations closely and will continue to ensure fair payments for every county. Here is a breakdown of PILT payments per Oregon county: Oregon County 2025 Payments Total Acres of Federal Land Baker $1,647,739 1,016,406 Benton $176,932 74,430 Clackamas $744,207 617,455 Clatsop $8,165 1,578 Columbia $37,902 10,961 Coos $784,444 244,052 Crook $2,298,509 940,423 Curry $1,043,286 687,737 Deschutes $3,927,415 1,445,487 Douglas $829,456 1,659,923 Gilliam $154,886 45,757 Grant $882,252 1,765,580 Harney $1,435,664 4,462,615 Hood River $292,405 205,855 Jackson $2,010,989 909,852 Jefferson $676,388 305,317 Josephine $1,738,589 714,226 Klamath $1,115,636 2,232,634 Lake $1,522,671 3,692,647 Lane $868,540 1,738,140 Lincoln $96,432 192,982 Linn $280,573 561,487 Malheur $3,646,793 4,299,181 Marion $112,978 226,094 Morrow $400,885 150,971 Multnomah $153,211 82,322 Polk $142,440 41,984 Sherman $199,610 57,726 Tillamook $68,203 136,490 Umatilla $1,007,272 420,242 Union $1,579,842 624,214 Wallowa $690,395 1,171,213 Wasco $169,906 220,074 Washington $48,314 13,972 Wheeler $150,948 302,080 Yamhill $84,013 58,758 Total $31,027,890 31,330,865 A full list of funding by state and county is available on the Interior Department’s PILT page . ###