The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department gives priority when funding technical assistance, programs and projects to geographic areas determined to be economically distressed.

The law directing the department to give priority to distressed areas was passed by the 1997 Oregon Legislative Assembly and went into effect October 4, 1997, Chapter 535, Oregon Laws 1997). The policy is further refined in Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 123, Division 024. The law directs the department to establish a methodology to identify distressed areas.

From the methodology, the department has identified distressed areas and has created a list of distressed areas in Oregon.