2024-2034 Employment Projections in Linn and Benton Counties

March 24, 2026

Linn and Benton counties will combine to add more than 5,700 jobs between 2024 and 2034, according to new projections from the Oregon Employment Department. This represents a 6% increase in employment over the 10-year period. The anticipated growth stems from private-sector gains of 4,980 jobs (7%) and growth of 510 jobs (2%) in government. This projected 6% growth rate is slower than the 10% growth seen over the past decade in Linn and Benton counties. Statewide, employment in Oregon is also projected to grow 6% from 2024 to 2034.  

Beyond gains from economic growth, an additional 113,000 job openings will be created by 2034 as workers change occupations or leave for other reasons, such as retirement. 

The 2024 to 2034 employment projections bring together several ongoing trends over the past few years. A fast-growing health care sector has been taking place for a number of years, due in part to an aging population. However, health care is showing slower projected growth than has been projected in recent projection cycles. Another long-term trend is public-sector employment growing more slowly than private-sector employment. 

Industry Projections

There will be job growth in all of the broad private-sector industry groups. The region’s private educational and health services sector is projected to add the most jobs (+1,830 jobs). Private education and health services is also projected to be the fastest-growing sector, growing 12% over the 10-year period. This is followed by professional and business services (+890 jobs), which is also projected to grow 12% over the 10-year period.  Leisure and hospitality (+740 jobs) and trade, transportation, and utilities (+550 jobs) are the other sectors projected to add more than 500 jobs by 2034. The construction industry will grow, adding 460 jobs or 10% by 2034.  In the public sector, federal government employment is projected to shed 40 jobs from 2024 to 2034, declining 4%. State government is projected to add 40 jobs over the decade. Local government employment is projected to grow 510 over the decade, with 330 of those jobs within local government education. Local government education includes local school districts (K-12) as well as Oregon State University. 

Occupational Projections

Between 2024 and 2034, there will be job openings in all occupations. In addition to the more than 5,700 occupational openings from new or expanding businesses, Linn-Benton employers will also need sufficiently trained workers for the more than 113,000 openings due to the need to replace those workers leaving their occupations. Replacement openings will make up most of the job openings in all major occupational groups in Linn and Benton counties. 

Fastest growing occupations in Linn and Benton counties for 2024 to 2034 included: 

1. Nurse Practitioners
2. Data Scientists
3. Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
4. Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
5. Physician Assistants
6. Information Security Analysts
7. Medical and Health Services Managers
8. Surveying and Mapping Technicians
9. Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
10. Marriage and Family Therapists

Linn and Benton counties’ economic diversity is demonstrated by the occupational group projected to have the most job openings: service occupations are expected to have more than 27,000 openings from 2024 to 2034. Service occupations includes jobs as varied as emergency services, pest control workers, and fast-food cooks. 

Other large occupational groups are professional and related occupations, office and administrative occupations, and sales and related occupations. Professional occupations, which include web developers, engineers, and lawyers, tend to pay higher wages and require higher levels of education.

Health care, construction and service occupations are the three groups growing fastest. Three of the top ten fastest-growing specific occupations in Linn and Benton counties are in health care.

In terms of actual job counts though, fast food and counter workers, educational instruction workers, stockers and order fillers, home health and personal care aides, and cashiers are the five occupations with the most job openings anticipated in the coming 10 years. These are all large occupations, and they will all experience some openings due to economic growth and many more due to the retirement or other departures of existing workers.

Occupations with the most job openings from 2024 to 2034 included:

1. Fast Food and Counter Workers
2. Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other
3. Stockers and Order Fillers
4. Home Health and Personal Care Aides
5. Cashiers
6. Retail Salespersons
7. Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other
8. Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
9. Waiters and Waitresses
10. Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Other Regional Projections

All areas of Oregon expect to see job opportunities due to both economic growth and to replace workers leaving the labor force or leaving their occupation in the coming years. The two regions projected to grow fastest from 2024 to 2034 are the Portland area (7%) and Central Oregon (7%). Linn and Benton counties’ employment is projected to grow 6%, matching Oregon’s statewide rate of 6%.