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Customer Support Specialist salary in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area

The Eastern Oregon nonmetro area is a lower-cost market for customer support specialists: the median of $43,640 a year1 is 8.0% below the Oregon statewide median of $47,450, and 2.5% below the US median of $44,770. Among US areas it comes in at #186 of 520. About 430 customer support specialists work here, 2% of the Oregon total.

$3,637median pay per month in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area
$4,692employer cost per month with benefits
$700–$1,000per month, remote through Stafka
430people in this job in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area

BLS occupation 43-4051, area Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.

Pay in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area against Oregon and the US

Range10thMedian90th
Eastern Oregon (Nonmetro)$33,200$43,640$60,900
Oregon$36,710$47,450$64,130
United States$31,750$44,770$63,590
10th to 90th percentilemiddle half (25th to 75th)median

Customer support specialists at the 90th percentile earn $60,900, 1.8 times the 10th percentile; the US ratio is 2.0. The middle half of customer support specialists in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area earns $36,250–$49,090. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $12,840 wide, against $14,300 across Oregon and $14,910 nationally: employers in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area pay within a narrower band.

What to budget for a customer support specialist here

Point in the local rangePer yearPer monthPer hourEmployer cost per year
10th percentile$33,200$2,767$15.96$42,839
25th percentile$36,250$3,021$17.43$46,774
Median$43,640$3,637$20.98$56,310
75th percentile$49,090$4,091$23.60$63,342
90th percentile$60,900$5,075$29.28$78,581

An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $5,450 a year in pay and about $7,032 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $7,390 in pay. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.

For scale, the US median of $44,770 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area, and the Oregon statewide median of $47,450 falls there too.

What a hire really costs in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area

Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $12,670 to the $43,640 median and brings it to $56,310 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.

$56,310 local hire in Eastern Oregon (Nonmetro)median wage plus benefits, year one
$13,288 remote hire through Stafka$850/month, placement fee and Deel, year one

Our open customer support specialist roles pay $700–$1,000 a month under a direct contract. The one-time fee is $2,5003 with a 180-day replacement; paying through Deel adds $49 a month4. Change any number below to match your plan.

$56,310local hire, first year incl. benefits
$13,288remote hire, first year incl. fee
$43,022difference in year one
76%of the local cost saved

A local hire here costs about 4.2 times as much as a remote hire in year one at the midpoint of our range. From year two, when the fee drops out, it is 5.2 times the remote figure of $10,788. About the candidates: most apply through our assessment platform with a written and a spoken English task; each profile shows the English level (B1–C2); Silkstaff interviews every shortlisted candidate live, in English, before you meet them.

Other roles in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area

Of the 15 roles we track in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area, this one ranks #14 by median pay, between administrative assistants ($45,380) and virtual receptionists ($38,560). Project Coordinator is the highest at $91,750.

The 5 roles closest in pay. All 15 roles in Eastern Oregon (Nonmetro)
RoleMedianvs customer support specialistJobs
HR Assistant
$48,420
+11.0%40
Medical Administrative Assistant
$47,320
+8.4%570
Administrative Assistant
$45,380
+4.0%900
Customer Support Specialist
$43,640
this role430
Virtual Receptionist
$38,560
-11.6%380

Measured against the US median, customer support specialists rank #4 of the 15 roles we track in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area (-2.5%), between virtual receptionists (+1.4%) and bookkeepers (-3.3%). The typical role here is at -4.5%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Customer support specialists hold 8.2% of the jobs in these 15 roles in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area, 10.3% across Oregon and 16.6% nationally. The job is a smaller part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.

Other areas in Oregon

Across the 11 areas of Oregon with data for this job, the median runs from $39,860 in the Central Oregon nonmetro area to $48,650 in Portland-Vancouver, a gap of $8,790 a year. All 6 areas in Oregon with more customer support specialists than the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area also pay more, among them Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA ($48,650) and Salem, OR ($47,790).

AreaMedianvs the Eastern Oregon nonmetro areaJobs
Medford, OR
$45,630
+4.6%690
Grants Pass, OR
$45,490
+4.2%220
Albany, OR
$45,080
+3.3%330
Corvallis, OR
$44,520
+2.0%300
Coast Oregon (Nonmetro)
$44,110
+1.1%790
Eastern Oregon (Nonmetro)
$43,640
this area430
Central Oregon (Nonmetro)
$39,860
-8.7%350

the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area against other US metro areas

By number of jobs, the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area is #486 of 520 US areas for this job. The market is small, and its pay sits near the middle of the US range. Outside Oregon, Naples-Marco Island and Kingston pay just above the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area and Niles and Amherst Town-Northampton just below. All four are within $80 a year of the median in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area. Of the three markets with about as many customer support specialists, none pays as much.

Metro areaMedianvs the Eastern Oregon nonmetro areaJobsClose in
Kingston, NY
$43,680
+0.1%680pay
Naples-Marco Island, FL
$43,680
+0.1%2,340pay
Eastern Oregon (Nonmetro)
$43,640
this area430
Niles, MI
$43,620
-0.0%930pay
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$43,560
-0.2%760pay
Michigan City-La Porte, IN
$41,880
-4.0%420jobs
Decatur, IL
$40,190
-7.9%420jobs
Anniston-Oxford, AL
$36,190
-17.1%430jobs

Questions

How much does it cost to hire a customer support specialist in Eastern Oregon (Nonmetro)?

About $56,310 a year at the median, or $4,692 a month: $43,640 in pay plus about $12,670 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.

What do customer support specialists earn in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area?

The median was $43,640 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $33,200, the 90th $60,900, and the middle half earned $36,250 to $49,090.

Is the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area cheaper than the rest of Oregon for customer support specialists?

Yes, it costs less: a median of $43,640 against $47,450 statewide. The next area up in Oregon is the Coast Oregon nonmetro area at $44,110, the next down the Central Oregon nonmetro area at $39,860.

How many customer support specialists work in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area?

BLS counts about 430 in the May 2025 survey. That is 2% of the Oregon total of 19,440. 6 areas in Oregon have more; the closest in size is Medford, with about 690.

Does a customer support specialist cost more than a virtual receptionist in the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area?

Yes: $5,080 a year more at the median. The medians are $43,640 and $38,560.

What does a remote customer support specialist cost compared with the Eastern Oregon nonmetro area?

Our open roles pay $700–$1,000 a month. At the midpoint, with the one-time fee and Deel, year one comes to $13,288, against about $56,310 for a local hire at the median.

Sources

4 sources, with links
  1. BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-4051: bls.gov
  2. BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
  3. Stafka pricing: stafka.com
  4. Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com

How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.