Business phone system for pharmacies and drug stores in Oregon
286 pharmacies and drug stores operated in Oregon in 2023. Where they are, how big their teams are, and what phone service costs them.
- Establishments
- 286CBP 2023
- Employees
- 4,742mid-March 2023
- Per 100k residents
- 6.7U.S. 12.3
- State rank
- 35th of 51by count
Pharmacies and drug stores in Oregon by the numbers
The Census Bureau counted 286 pharmacies and drug stores in Oregon in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 446110). They employed 4,742 people in mid-March and reported $212.7 million in annual payroll. That is the 35th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Pharmacies and drug stores make up 0.23% of the 122,451 business establishments in the state.
Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Oregon has 6.7 pharmacies and drug stores, 45.5% below the national rate of 12.3. The average establishment has 16.6 employees against 16.5 nationally. Payroll per employee is $44,864, in line with the U.S. figure of $44,477.
| Measure | Oregon | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Establishments | 286 | 41,792 |
| Mid-March employees | 4,742 | 691,152 |
| Annual payroll | $212,746,000 | $30,740,561,000 |
| Employees per establishment | 16.6 | 16.5 |
| Payroll per employee | $44,864 | $44,477 |
| Establishments per 100,000 residents | 6.7 | 12.3 |
Census County Business Patterns 2023 (mid-March employment; annual payroll). Employees and payroll flagged high-noise are shown but not used in the text. Residents: Census Vintage 2024 estimates.
Pharmacies and drug stores by metro area in Oregon
Census published pharmacy counts for 14 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Oregon. The largest is Portland, OR-WA, with 146 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 52% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.
| Area | Establishments | Employees | Per 100k residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR-WA | 146 | 2,870 | 5.8 |
| Salem, OR | 29 | 509 | 6.5 |
| Eugene, OR | 26 | 452 | 6.8 |
| Bend, OR | 20 | 220 | 7.6 |
| Medford, OR | 16 | 261 | 7.2 |
| Roseburg, OR | 13 | 145 | 11.6 |
| Albany, OR | 9 | 136 | 6.8 |
| Newport, OR | 8 | 89 | 15.6 |
| Corvallis, OR | 7 | 80 | 7.1 |
| Hermiston, OR | 6 | 93 | 6.5 |
| Ontario, OR-ID | 6 | 86 | 10.0 |
| Grants Pass, OR | 5 | 109 | 5.7 |
| Coos Bay, OR | 5 | 45 | 7.8 |
| Astoria, OR | 4 | 40 | 9.7 |
Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023; population from Census Vintage 2024 estimates.
Team sizes at pharmacies and drug stores in Oregon
14.0% of Oregon's pharmacies and drug stores with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 18.4% nationally. 34.6% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.
| Employment size | Establishments | Share | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–4 employees | 40 | 14.0% | 18.4% |
| 5–9 employees | 59 | 20.6% | 20.3% |
| 10–19 employees | 81 | 28.3% | 16.4% |
| 20–49 employees | 101 | 35.3% | 43.4% |
| 50 or more employees | 5 | 1.7% | 1.6% |
Employment-size classes count establishments by mid-March 2023 employment. Establishments with no March employees are excluded from the size classes, so shares are of establishments with employees. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.
Why the phone matters for pharmacies and drug stores in Oregon
Independent pharmacies take refill requests, prescriber calls and insurance questions throughout the day, often while pharmacists are filling prescriptions. Sorting calls by purpose keeps prescribers and patients from waiting in the same queue. That holds for pharmacies and drug stores in Oregon as much as anywhere.
A few of the calls that come in to pharmacies and drug stores in Oregon:
- The pharmacy calls a prescriber for a refill authorization.
- A customer calls to ask about vaccine availability.
- A customer calls to request a refill.
Calls after closing time
After-hours messages are mostly refill requests that staff can process at opening.
Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.
Callata vs. per-seat pricing for pharmacies and drug stores in Oregon
Pharmacies and drug stores in Oregon average 16.6 employees, so the comparison uses a 17-person team. Priced per seat, 17 users would run $510.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $424.15 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). On Callata the same 17 people cost $339.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.
The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $2,052. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.
| Provider (plan) | Pricing basis | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callata (Callata Office) | $99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user | $339.00 | $4,068.00 |
| Quo (Starter) | $19.00 per user | $323.00 | $3,876.00 |
| Nextiva (Core) | $23.00 per user | $391.00 | $4,692.00 |
| Ooma (Office Pro) | $24.95 per user | $424.15 | $5,089.80 |
| Dialpad (Standard) | $27.00 per user | $459.00 | $5,508.00 |
| RingCentral (RingEX Core) | $30.00 per user | $510.00 | $6,120.00 |
Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.
Area codes in Oregon
Oregon has 4 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your customers know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.
| Area code | Exchanges | Time zone | In service since | Overlay with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 503 | 784 | Pacific | 1947 | 971 |
| 541 | 781 | Mountain and Pacific | 1995 | 458 |
| 971 | 441 | Pacific | 2000 | 503 |
| 458 | 224 | Mountain and Pacific | 2010 | 541 |
Exchanges are NANPA-assigned central office codes (NPA-NXX) in the rate centers matched to the area's named places. Source: NANPA utilized code and NPA reports.
How Callata works for pharmacies and drug stores in Oregon
Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.
If you already have a number in Oregon, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.
Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.
Practices that handle protected health information should review their own privacy obligations before recording calls, enabling AI summaries or texting appointment details, and keep clinical conversations out of text messages unless their policies allow it.
Frequently asked questions
How many pharmacies and drug stores are in Oregon?
286 in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. They employed 4,742 people in mid-March.
Which Oregon metro area has the most pharmacies and drug stores?
Portland, OR-WA, with 146 establishments in 2023.
What does a phone system cost a 17-person pharmacy?
$510.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core or $424.15 on Ooma Office Pro at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026); $339.00 on Callata ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user).
Do I need to register to text customers from a Oregon number?
Yes. US carriers require business texting from local numbers to be registered (10DLC). On Callata the registration is a one-time $49 fee, and texting turns on once it is approved.