The city of Albany sits in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, on the banks of the Willamette and its tributary, the Calapooia River. Home to 57,199 (2021 PSU Estimate), Albany is the 11th largest city in Oregon, the county seat of and largest city in Linn County (2021 population: 130,440), and the second largest city in Benton County (2021 population: 93,976).

From its river town beginnings, Albany has grown south and east first with the railroads, then state highways and Interstate 5, and across the Willamette into the farms and wooded hillsides of North Albany earning it the nickname of Oregon's "Hub City."

44° 38' N latitude / 123° 7' W longitude
180-520 Ft above sea level

Major Employers

Education System

The Greater Albany Public School system provides 13 elementary schools, one 3rd-8th school, three middle schools, and three high schools serving approximately 8,600 students.

Linn-Benton Community College offers processional and technical training programs in addition to general education and college transfer courses.

Oregon State University, located 10 miles away in neighboring Corvallis, hosts researching programs in forestry, agricultural sciences, veterinary science, oceanography and engineering.

Transportation

Local government

• Incorporated: 1864
• Home rule charter adopted: 1891
• Government: Council - Manager
• City limits area: 17.7 square miles
• Current permanent tax rate: $6.3984 per $1,000 of assessed value
• City budget (FY 2016-2017): $189,634,900
• City employees (March 2018):
  • 379 regular, full-time
  • 25 regular, part-time
  • 71 temporary

Workforce Development

In addition to the available workforce, the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, the Albany-Millersburg Economic Development Corporation, the City of Albany, Linn-Benton Community College, area schools, and local companies have formed a Workforce Development Task Force to coordinate the needs of manufacturers with training and education providers to train students for the existing and future needs of area employers. This is a community-wide approach to proactively focus on workforce solutions for current and future openings. The goal is to develop a training pathway for the 70% of K-14 students who will not go on to four year institutions. The Task Force has created an industry-funded position to link students in local high schools with training, internship, and career-day opportunities with our local manufacturers.

In addition to providing the skill sets necessary for existing industries and businesses, Albany believes that having a community that recognizes the importance of these partnerships and educating our future workforce will be beneficial, not only to our existing industries, but to those looking at locating in Albany.

Workforce Resources

Local partners can provide recruiting, screening, testing and training of new employees. Various other services, wage supplements and credits may be available for certain employees.

WorkSource Oregon Employment Department offers the following recruitment services:

• Advertising: Use of iMatchSkills (iMS) and Job Central to post job listings statewide and nationwide. Assigned Account Representative (AR) will write or assist the employer to write and post job listings on iMS. 
• Screening: Assigned AR will pre-screen applicants according to employer specifications. AR may collect resumes, contact applicants by phone, email or mail, schedule interviews, etc. 
• Space: The Employment Department can provide space for the employer to conduct interviews, follow up phone calls, reference checks, etc. 
• Follow Up: The AR will maintain contact with the employer throughout the recruitment to ensure the referral of qualified applicants.

Employment Department services are paid by employer taxes, and are available at no additional cost to businesses. The value of the services that we provide each business, including the assignment of an Account Representative, screening, follow up, marketing, and interviewing space is estimated between $2,958 and $3,939 per recruitment.