Beaverton is doing a lot to shape its economy. What is that work adding up to?
Beaverton's economy is shaped by city staff, BURA, the Chamber, downtown organizations, employers and regional partners. This page follows that work from jobs and industries to public spending, projects and the results residents can actually see.
A few big employers loom large, but they are only part of the story.
The City's 2024 principal-employer table gives us a rare named view of the local economy. It is not a complete industry census, but it shows which organizations account for a large share of the employment captured in the City's table.
The biggest names are not the same thing as the biggest industries.
The Census LODES workplace files classify jobs into 20 broad industries. This is the fuller view: every covered job in the Beaverton place-based block aggregation, not only the ten largest named employers.
Named employers and industry totals answer different questions.
A large employer can dominate one sector, while another sector may be spread across hundreds of smaller workplaces. We show both views instead of pretending one list can answer both questions.
Beaverton's employment mix looks different than it did two decades ago.
Manufacturing accounts for far fewer LODES workplace jobs than in 2002, while health care and professional/scientific/technical work have grown. These are workplace job counts, not establishment counts or a verdict on job quality.
Beaverton's economy does not stop at the city line.
People routinely cross city boundaries for work. That means Beaverton residents can benefit from major employers elsewhere in Washington County, while Beaverton businesses draw workers from across the region.
employed residents in the 2023 LODES residence file.
— are estimated to both live and work in Beaverton.
jobs located in Beaverton in the 2023 LODES workplace file.
— of those jobs are estimated to be held by Beaverton residents.
Many organizations are involved. Following responsibility from plan to project is harder.
This table follows six recurring priorities from plans and money to the organizations doing the work and the results we could measure. When a connection is unclear, we say so rather than assuming nothing is happening.
| Priority | What matters | Policy / strategy | Money / authority | Who is working on it | Current work | What we could measure | What remains unclear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce & talent | Employers need skilled workers; residents need access to quality jobs. | City economic-development work; Chamber 2025–28 strategy; WEA; regional CEDS. | City partnerships; school, PCC and workforce systems; employer investment. | City, Chamber, employers, schools, workforce partners. | Internships, CTE connections, referrals, employer training partnerships. | Labor-force participation, earnings, placements, employer participation. | Who owns the step from repeated talent needs to a funded shared project? |
| Business retention & support | Businesses need useful assistance and follow-through. | City business support; Chamber; County small-business network. | City/partner staff and contracts; IMPACT Beaverton; County network. | City, IMPACT/Chamber, County and culturally specific providers. | Consultations, referrals, workshops and business services. | Businesses served, referral disposition, recurring barriers resolved. | Can the public see what happens after a referral without exposing confidential cases? |
| Entrepreneurship | New and small firms need support, capital and room to grow. | City startup work; Chamber; CDBG microenterprise; equity plans. | City programs; startup ecosystem; CDBG; partner networks. | City, OTBC/startup partners, Chamber and culturally specific providers. | Technical assistance, startup support, financing and grant connections. | Starts, survival, capital connections, program access. | Which tools support firms beyond the startup stage? |
| Employment land & industry readiness | Growing employers need land, infrastructure and usable sites. | Comprehensive Plan; economic strategy update; WEA employment-land priorities. | Zoning, infrastructure, BURA/TIF where eligible, Enterprise Zone and development tools. | City, BURA, property owners, utilities and regional partners. | District planning, infrastructure, site development, major employer expansions. | Land inventory, project pipeline, expansions, infrastructure milestones. | Where is employment land truly development-ready, and what constrains it? |
| Downtown vitality | A healthy downtown needs businesses, investment and places people want to spend time. | Downtown Equity Strategy; BURA; BDA/Main Street; City economic-development work. | BURA capital/program funds; business-improvement tools; BDA capacity. | BURA, City, BDA, property owners and businesses. | Public-realm projects, grants, redevelopment and district programming. | Projects completed, grants, occupancy if available, activation measures. | Which goals are publicly owned and which depend on private property or BDA? |
| Equitable opportunity | Growth should be accessible across communities and not simply shift costs or displacement. | Downtown Equity Strategy; DEI/economic empowerment; microenterprise work. | Targeted assistance, grants, procurement tools and partner delivery. | City, BURA, culturally specific providers and business partners. | Technical assistance, targeted programs and anti-displacement work. | Actions completed, program access, procurement participation, affordability context. | How do we track outcomes without reducing equity to demographic proxy scores? |
BURA has significant redevelopment resources — but the total is not all spendable project money.
BURA’s May 28, 2026 FY2026–27 proposed budget showed $73.8 million in total resources and uses. That is not $73.8 million sitting in a project account: the total includes planned borrowing, transfers, debt payments and contingency. Until the adopted BURA report is reconciled line by line, the figures below remain labeled proposed.
Total resources and uses across BURA funds. Use this as a scale measure, not as a claim about money available for new projects.
The proposed fund included $35.0M in planned loan/bond proceeds, with $5.4M budgeted for property acquisition and $8.5M for design and inspection.
The proposed Program & Activities Fund included $3.03M for materials and services supporting work such as property management, business-improvement programs, downtown equity implementation and the First Street Dining Commons.
Some important questions are still hard to answer.
Beaverton has plans, programs, institutions and investment. The harder part is seeing the full line from a stated priority to a funded project and then to a measurable result.
What happens after business assistance?
Public reporting is stronger on services offered than on whether referrals turn into solved problems or shared projects.
Are residents getting better jobs?
Business growth and resident prosperity are related, but they are not the same measure. The page keeps workplace and resident data separate.
Which strategies are actually funded?
Plans often name priorities broadly. The budget and project register need to show which actions have money, an owner and a timetable.