Workforce, Jobs, and Industries
updated 2021
The Region has a complex job and employment base with varied levels of skills and educational attainment that may or may not reflect the needs of current and emerging industries. The types of jobs in the Region have changed over the past few decades, with a robust timber industry (see Food Access and Agriculture for more details) being replaced with service and professional jobs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the highest-paying jobs are in the manufacturing and information sectors.
Educational Attainment
For 2019, at 18.5% our Region is slightly lower than the State (20.8%) and national average (19.8%) for the percentage of the population age 25 and older that has a bachelor’s degree. Visit Migration to see additional information about educational attainment in our Region.
Our Region is estimated to have a high proportion of adults, over 37 percent, with some college or an Associate degree, when compared with the national average (29%).
Refer to Community and Health Indicators for high school graduation rates in the Region.
Bachelor’s Degree Fields
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 47 percent of the bachelor’s degrees held by residents of our Region are in the Science and Engineering field. When combined with Science and Engineering related fields, the percentage jumps to 55 percent.
Businesses by Industry
Data from the U.S. BLS show that since 2010, the number of business establishments in the Region has increased by nearly 16 percent. There were 8,027 establishments in 2019, more than the highest pre-recession annual average of 6,879 in 2007. Service-providing industries have the most establishments, 80 percent, with the Trade, Transportation, and Utilities industry making up most of businesses.
Employer Size
Large employers in the Region, those with 250 or more employees, make up half of one percent of all employers. However, these large employers provide 45 percent of the jobs in the Region. The smallest employers, those with fewer than 20 employees, represent 87 percent of all employers and provide almost 26 percent of the jobs in the Region.
Top 10 Employers by Number of Jobs
| Employer | Employees (Jobs) |
|---|---|
| Oregon State University | 12,068 |
| Samaritan Health Services Corvallis (formally Good Samaritan Hospital) | 2,966 |
| Samaritan Health Services Linn Co | 2,527 |
| ATI | 1,300 |
| Hewlett Packard | 1,250 |
| Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians | 1,121 |
| Greater Albany Public Schools | 1,035 |
| Linn Benton Community College | 974 |
| Samaritan Health Services Lincoln Co | 800 |
| Linn County | 690 |
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Sources
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Regional Industry Employment
Middle-wage jobs in Oregon and nationally have grown slower than high- and low-wage jobs since 1980. However, middle-wage jobs have shown strong growth in the Region since 2014.
Source: Oregon Employment Department, 2016
Projections 2019 - 2029
Based on State projections, Health Care should add the most jobs in the Region over the next several years – its pace of growth largely driven by an aging population. In fact, seven of the top 10 fastest-growing specific occupations in the Linn and Benton County area with more than 50 openings are in health care (see chart). Construction growth will continue due to high demand and low inventory. The slowest-growing industries include Manufacturing and Financial activities.
