RANK #641 / 1001 NAT · #5 / 18 OR · POP 130,706
1YR FORECAST: -0.8%
5YR OUTLOOK: +26%
Linn County, Oregon, is distinguished by its position in the heart of the Willamette Valley, stretching from the Willamette River to the Cascade Mountains. This location provides a diverse landscape of farmlands, clear lakes, rivers, and dense forests. Sweet Home, one of the notable towns, is celebrated as the home of the Oregon Jamboree music festival. Commuting within the county is primarily by car, with an average commute time of 25.7 minutes. Public transit options like Albany Transit and the Linn-Benton Loop connect major towns and offer connections to nearby cities like Corvallis. The county offers extensive outdoor recreation, including hiking through lush forests to waterfalls at McDowell Creek Falls Park, boating and fishing on lakes like Foster and Green Peter, and exploring the Quartzville Recreation Corridor.
Life in Linn County offers a blend of rural charm and access to larger urban amenities in nearby cities like Albany, the largest city in the county. The economy has a strong agricultural base, leading the nation in ryegrass production, and also includes manufacturing, food processing, and wood products. Recent economic developments show growth in sectors such as health care and professional and business services. The county also sees ongoing investment in energy and data center infrastructure, contributing to a diversified economic picture.
Linn County's data profile doesn't fit any single market profile cleanly — its housing, labor, and demographic signals pull in different directions (home prices +0.6% YoY, population +0.7%, wages +3.7%). About 414 U.S. counties show this kind of mixed-signal pattern.
See all 414 Idiosyncratic Markets counties →Overvalued relative to economy
Well below national median
Above national median (15x)
Housing looks overvalued at 17.1x — home prices are high relative to local economic output. Climate and geography support a structural premium. The typical U.S. county is 4–6x.
Estimated local headcount ranges. Larger employers shown as floor + "+"; smaller employers show exact counts where reported.
Bars show trailing 12-month growth. The dashed Forecast bars are the model's next-12-month projection; the whisker marks the ±1% range (cooling–accelerating).
Source: Redfin · Census BPS — Browse sales on Redfin →
Source: CDC/NCHS vital statistics via County Health Rankings (2020–2022 avg). Rates per 100,000 population. Grade based on homicide rate relative to national average (~6.3). Learn more →
Source: EPA Air Quality System (2021–2023). Grade based on 3-year average median AQI. Learn about AQI →
| PROJECT | AMOUNT | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
|
Google Data Centers (multiple campuses)
Google
|
$1,300M | Proposed |
|
Gas-fired Power Plant (near Fairfax)
Alliant Energy
|
$500M | Proposed |
|
Silverfield Battery Energy Storage Facility
Spearmint Energy
|
$300M | Proposed |
|
Muddy Creek Energy Park (Solar + Battery Storage)
Muddy Creek Energy Park LLC (subsidiary of Hanwha Q CELLS USA Corp.)
|
$199M | Proposed |
Source: public records, news, corporate announcements. Amounts are estimates where noted.
Bars show percentile rank among all 1001 counties.
At 35/100, Linn County faces headwinds that place it in the lower third of the 1001 counties we track. Median income of $76,329 combined with job growth of -0.4% suggests the local economy is struggling to keep pace with national trends.
Linn County leans toward the expensive side. A median home value of $376,400 against an income-to-home-value ratio of 0.20 means housing eats a bigger share of local earnings than the national norm. Renters face $1,320/month on average.
Linn County's population is growing — up +0.7% YoY — while the job market is roughly flat (employment change of -0.4%). Home values shifted +0.6% over the past year. In-migration is outpacing local hiring, which often points to remote workers or retirees driving the headcount.
There's a moderate stream of newcomers. About 3.6% of residents moved from another state, which is above average and suggests Linn County has appeal as a relocation destination — though it's not among the highest-inflow counties nationally.