Portlandruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Semiconductors — the Silicon Forest
Intel, Lam Research, Analog Devices, Qorvo, Siltronic
Intel's Hillsboro campuses are Oregon's largest private employer and the company's leading-edge process development site — Washington County has a higher concentration of semiconductor employment than almost anywhere in the US.
Athletic & outdoor apparel
Nike, Adidas North America, Columbia Sportswear, Keen, Danner, Yakima
Nike's Beaverton campus and Adidas's North American headquarters sit twelve miles apart, which makes Portland the global centre of sneaker design in a way no other city is.
Advanced manufacturing & metals
Precision Castparts, Boeing Portland, Vigor, ESCO, Leatherman
Precision Castparts, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, makes complex castings for jet engines from a Portland base; the metals cluster here long predates the tech one.
Health systems & research
OHSU, Providence, Legacy Health, Kaiser Permanente Northwest
Oregon Health & Science University sits on Marquam Hill, reached by an aerial tram, and is the largest employer inside the city limits.
Clean energy & transport
Vestas American Wind Technology, Daimler Truck North America, Portland General Electric, NW Natural
Vestas runs its Americas headquarters from the Pearl District and Daimler builds Freightliner trucks on Swan Island — an unusual pairing of wind and heavy diesel in one city.
Creative, animation & software
Laika, Wieden+Kennedy, Puppet, New Relic, Jama Software, Instrument
Laika's stop-motion studio in Hillsboro and Wieden+Kennedy's advertising work give Portland a creative economy disproportionate to its size, though the software scene is smaller than Seattle's by an order of magnitude.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.