Oregon Leads in Democracy but Falls Behind in Mental Health, Report Finds

Aiming to evaluate the U.S. on 37 measures across 15 topics, spanning mental health to democracy, researchers at Tulane University ranked Oregon 23rd overall in the state’s newly released State of the State report.

The report analyzed more than three decades of data, evaluating all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Oregon led the rankings in Citizenship & Democracy, ranking second for overall voter participation and first in the most recent year for voter turnout in congressional elections.

Oregon ranked poorly in categories such as Mental Health and Civil Liberties.

A group of bipartisan policy experts and political advisers compiled the second annual report through the State of the Nation Project—a comprehensive report analyzing nationwide trends. Approaching the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the group aimed to analyze each state’s progress through various lenses, finding key similarities despite wide political divisions.

“At a time of such polarization, misinformation, and pessimism, it’s important to get a clear sense of how we’re really doing on what matters most,” Douglas Harris, director of the State of the Nation Project, said in the report. “It turns out that states—red and blue—mostly share the same struggles.”

In recent years, Oregon has seen improvements in its congressional election participation, bringing its overall voter participation to second, behind Washington, D.C.

The 42nd place ranking on civil liberties reflects an increase in Oregon freedom of the press violations. Researchers say they assessed this category through metrics like assaults and arrests of reporters, equipment damage, subpoenas requiring journalists to testify in court or provide journalistic records, and coverage restrictions—through threats of judicial punishment or denial of access to government events. The report did not offer specific explanations for the trend in Oregon.

Some of the lowest rankings Oregon received were in mental health categories. Placing 50th for depression, 39th in suicide rates and 38th in fatal overdoses, state mental health trends have been worsening compared to the U.S. as a whole.

The report cited several causes for the nation’s high suicide and fatal overdose rates, including increased widespread supply and use of illicit drugs and broad access to firearms. In all three mental health categories, Oregon ranked worse than the national average.

The overall worsening of adult depression and fatal overdose in Oregon is part of a larger national trend. In fact, the report found no state to be improving in life satisfaction, adult depression, youth depression, fatal overdoses, trust in the federal government, income inequality, long-term unemployment rate, and hourly earnings growth.

Oregon ranked in the middle for categories such as Work & Labor Force, Violence, Physical Health, and Education.