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.   

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