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 theInterior Department’s?PILT?page.