Per Capita Personal Income in Linn and Benton Counties

September 17, 2026

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) recently released new estimates of per capita personal income (PCPI) by county. Personal income data is not among the most current economic indicators – the “new” county estimates are for 2024. Despite the time lag in producing personal income data, they are still valuable for evaluating a county’s economic health.

Personal income data includes wage and salary income, but it also includes other sources of income. One other source of income is transfer payments from the government. Transfer payments include social security income, food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid, welfare income, and student grants and loans received from the government. Personal income also includes interest, dividends, and capital gains that people receive. Farm income is another component captured in personal income data. 

Graph 1 shows Benton and Linn counties compared with Oregon and the nation in terms of per capita personal income. Benton County’s ($62,473) per capita income level in 2024 exceeded Linn County but lags behind Oregon and the U.S. Linn County’s ($59,976) per capita income level was significantly less than both the state and the nation. Graph 2 illustrates the short-term and long-term percent change in per capita personal income in Benton and Linn counties, Oregon, and the United States. The short-term change is shown in the over-the-year percent change from 2023 to 2024. Both counties and Oregon all had a gain in PCPI from 2023 to 2024. Benton County’s PCPI grew 5.1%, faster than Oregon and the U.S. Linn County’s PCPI expanded 4.5%, slightly slower than Oregon’s growth of 5.0% and the U.S. growth of 4.6%. The long-term trend in PCPI is captured by looking at the annual average percent change from 2001 to 2024. Over that period, Benton County’s 3.2% per capita personal income growth was slower than Linn County’s 3.9% growth. Linn County was similar to Oregon’s 4.0% growth and the nation (3.7%).

Graph 3 shows the PCPI for Oregon, Linn, and Benton counties, as a percentage of U.S. PCPI. In 2024 Oregon’s PCPI was 96.7% of the U.S. PCPI. Linn County’s PCPI was 81.9% of the U.S. PCPI in 2024 and Benton County’s was 85.3%.