Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety47#487/924
Economy49#475/925
Housing8#848/925
Health38#571/925
Healthcare54#428/923
Environment42#528/917
Education49#471/925
Infrastructure61#361/925
Community79#195/925
Leisure & amenities35#606/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Albany, OR metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.405
96/100Oregon 0.463United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Median Air Quality Index · low27
92/100Oregon 352025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Voter turnout · high73.2%
87/100Oregon 70.7%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
Physical inactivity · low21.5%
85/100Oregon 20.9%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · low10 mi
80/100Oregon 24 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · low33 mi
79/100Oregon 26 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Depression · high31.6%
1/100Oregon 27.9%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
10/100Oregon 0.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Unemployment rate · high5.5%
11/100Oregon 5.2%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Home price to income ratio · high4.9×
13/100Oregon 5.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Suicide rate · high25.1 /100k
14/100Oregon 20.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Severe housing problems · high17.5%
14/100Oregon 18.2%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

High ozone daysImproving
9 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
−89%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
New business applicationsImproving
6.5 /1k (2020) → 11.3 /1k (2025)
+72%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
New homes permittedWorsening
4.8 /1k (2021) → 1.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−64%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child care cost burdenWorsening
20.8% (2020 & 2021) → 31.6% (2023 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Hot daysWorsening
5 days (2011-2020) → 8 days (2016-2025)
+50%5 yearsUS 41 days → 42 days
Property crime rateImproving
2,185 /100k (2020) → 1,188 /100k (2025)
−46%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Albany, OR metro area improved on 11 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 9. 7 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved11

Arts & recreation+32%2.6 /10k → 3.4 /10k
Household income+37%$55,893 → $76,329
Gyms+36%0.8 /10k → 1.1 /10k
New businesses+72%6.5 /1k → 11.3 /1k
Real income+37%$43,023 → $58,743

Declined9

Firearm deaths+104%9.3 /100k → 19.0 /100k
Suicides+47%17.1 /100k → 25.1 /100k
Commute+2.9 min22.8 min → 25.7 min
Violent crime+24%156 /100k → 194 /100k
Price / income+1.0×4.0× → 4.9×

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Albany, OR metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.6 /10k2020	3.4 /10k2025	+32%	Improved	89%
Average commute time	22.8 min2015-2019	25.7 min2020-2024	+2.9 min	Declined	6%
Average weekly wage	$9082020	$1,1452025	+26%	Improved	74%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.3%2015-2019	21.6%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Improved	38%
Broadband subscriptions	83.0%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	+8 points	Improved	39%
Child poverty rate	16.1%2015-2019	16.1%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Distance to an airport	33 mi2020	33 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	16.3 /100k2020	16.0 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−1.8%	Little change	29%
Effective property tax rate	1.01%2015-2019	0.73%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	88%
Firearm deaths	9.3 /100k2020	19.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+104%	Declined	2%
Grocery stores	1.3 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−20%	Declined	10%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.8 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+36%	Improved	83%
High school diploma or higher	89.5%2015-2019	92.2%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Home price to income ratio	4.0×2015-2019	4.9×2020-2024	+1.0×	Declined	13%
Homicide rate	3.6 /100k2020	3.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−11%	Improved	32%
Income adjusted for local prices	$43,0232019	$58,7432024	+37%	Improved	79%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4212015-2019	0.4052020-2024	−0.017	Within the margin of error	86%
Median household income	$55,8932015-2019	$76,3292020-2024	+37%	Improved	90%
New business applications	6.5 /1k2020	11.3 /1k2025	+72%	Improved	81%
Pharmacies	1.1 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	−24%	Declined	14%
Poverty rate	13.3%2015-2019	13.0%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Property crime rate	2,185 /100k2020	1,188 /100k2025	−46%	Improved	78%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.7 /10k2024	−2.3%	Little change	45%
Public transit commuters	0.2%2015-2019	0.2%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Rent as share of income	29.5%2015-2019	32.0%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Declined	16%
Rent-burdened households	48.7%2015-2019	53.4%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Restaurants and bars	7.6 /10k2020	7.6 /10k2025	+0%	Little change	46%
Suicide rate	17.1 /100k2020	25.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+47%	Declined	9%
Traffic deaths	17.6 /100k2015-2019	20.2 /100k2020-2024	+15%	Declined	36%
Unemployment rate	7.7%2020	5.5%2025	−2.2 points	Improved	28%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.7%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Violent crime rate	156 /100k2020	194 /100k2025	+24%	Declined	11%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Albany, OR metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Albany, OR metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Albany, OR metro area itself moved −4.9 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

130,706 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

50,729 households (±426)

Albany, OR metro area
United States share

Under $25k14%7,254
$25k–50k19%9,440
$50k–75k16%8,226

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

50,729 households (±426)

Albany, OR metro area
United States share

Own67%33,918
Rent33%16,811

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.5 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

57,813 workers (±1,285)

Albany, OR metro area
United States share

Drive alone76%44,212
Carpool8.5%4,930
Public transit0.2%†107

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Albany, OR employ 11,480 people. 8 pay a median above the US median and 1 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Albany, OR by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand1,590 jobs	1,590	$47,150US $40,240	+17%	1.77×
Fast Food and Counter Workers1,470 jobs	1,470	$34,330US $31,200	+10%	1.26×
Stockers and Order Fillers1,470 jobs	1,470	$38,970US $37,330	+4%	1.71×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides1,460 jobs	1,460	$42,120US $35,800	+18%	1.11×
Cashiers1,080 jobs	1,080	$34,160US $32,880	+4%	1.16×
Retail Salespersons1,040 jobs	1,040	$35,990US $35,410	+2%	0.88×
Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other930 jobs	930	$41,600US $41,600	0%	51×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers830 jobs	830	$60,180US $58,640	+3%	1.33×
General and Operations Managers810 jobs	810	$93,220US $105,770	−12%	0.76×
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary800 jobs	800	$37,930US $36,780	+3%	1.86×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Albany, OR.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Albany, OR has 2,846 employer establishments, 216 for every 10,000 residents (0.87× the US rate of 248), with 37,099 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,989. The Census Bureau also counts 7,826 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,846; 7,826 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 216; US 248
Paid employees: 37,099
Average annual pay: $53,989; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Albany, OR by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	254	19.3	1.25×About typical	2,534	$73,208	364
Restaurants and other eating places	205	15.6	0.85×About typical	3,190	$22,897	37
Construction of buildings	156	11.9	1.57×More than typical	630	$54,898	237
Ambulatory health care services	140	10.6	0.51×Fewer than typical	1,309	$59,011	286
Lessors of real estate	135	10.3	0.83×About typical	260	$40,035	839
Truck transportation	112	8.5	1.68×More than typical	833	$59,791	211
Religious organizations	98	7.4	1.34×More than typical	695	$28,112	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	97	7.4	1.09×About typical	405	$30,916	409
Building equipment contractors	81	6.2	1.02×About typical	1,270	$81,800	48
Full-service restaurants	80	6.1	0.79×Fewer than typical	1,064	$25,935	11
Limited-service restaurants	78	5.9	0.74×Fewer than typical	1,674	$21,909	19
Grocery and convenience stores	64	4.9	1.64×More than typical	1,032	$27,574	15

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 131,591 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $20M on contracts performed in Albany, OR metro area: $151 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $20M; +12% vs FY2025
Per resident: $151; US $1,994
Sole-source: 40%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.5%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$8.1M40%
Department of Energy$8M40%
Forest Service$2.4M12%
Bureau of Land Management$783.2K3.9%
U.S. Geological Survey$330.1K1.7%
Department of the Army$306.1K1.5%
Federal Aviation Administration$164.4K0.8%
Federal Highway Administration$43.4K0.2%

Top recipients

OFD FOODS, LLC$8.1M40%
NORTH WIND GENERAL CONTRACTORS LLC$3.5M17%
JR CARLON CORP$1.8M9.0%
PACIFICMARK CONSTRUCTION CORP$1.3M6.4%
LITHOS INDUSTRIES INC.$739.5K3.7%

Spending by fiscal year

13.9MFY2017
27.1MFY2018
13.6MFY2019
19MFY2020
20.4MFY2021
36.1MFY2022
17MFY2023
56.9M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other food manufacturing · 3119$7.3M36%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$5.1M26%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$1.8M9.2%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$960.5K4.8%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$873.3K4.4%
Animal slaughtering and processing · 3116

Largest awards

IRA FUNDED B-34 ADVANCED ALLOY SIGNATURE CENTER FACILITY SBA REQUIREMENT #LV1705525898S$38.3M
NORTH WIND GENERAL CONTRACTORS LLC· Linn County, OR· Construction & real property· Aug 30, 2024 – Jul 14, 2026· 89243324CFE000093
8511768615!EGG MIX$3.6M
OFD FOODS, LLC· Linn County, OR· Other equipment & supplies· Dec 2, 2025 – Dec 2, 2025· SPE3S126F0137
8512022944!EGG MIX$3.6M
OFD FOODS, LLC· Linn County, OR· Other equipment & supplies· Apr 6, 2026 – Apr 6, 2026· SPE3S126F0782
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES ON WFL PROJECT OR FLAP DOT 126(1), BLUE POOL SAFETY AND ACCESS ENHANCEMENT PROJECT INCLUDES PAVING, GRADING, AND REBASE.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $964.6M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Albany, OR metro area: $7,261 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $964.6M; −1.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,261; US $12,955
Loan face value: $61.4M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.2%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$572.8M59%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$107.8M11%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$75.1M7.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$51.9M5.4%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$29.6M3.1%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$29.2M3.0%
64.015 · Veterans State Nursing Home Care$23.3M2.4%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$13.1M1.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

LINN BENTON HOUSING AUTHORITY$30.5M3.2%
ALBANY, OR
STATE OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS$23.3M2.4%
THE DALLES, OR
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$18.7M1.9%
SALEM, OR
SWEET HOME FIRE & AMBULANCE DISTRICT$10.1M1.0%
SWEET HOME, OR
LINN-BENTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$729M76%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$124.8M13%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$30.5M3.2%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Under Secretary for Health/Veterans Health Administration$24M2.5%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration

Assistance by fiscal year

833.3MFY2021
811.9MFY2022
863.4MFY2023
926.3MFY2024
977MFY2025
964.6MFY2026

County aggregates

89%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Albany, OR

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Linn CountyCentral county43132,843

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

AlbanyPrincipal city56,839

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Oregon

Areas based in Oregon, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M10540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved11

Declined9

Metro and micro areas like Albany, OR metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Albany, OR

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Oregon

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved11

Declined9

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought