One of the reasons Corvallis is a hotbed for innovation is because of the creative people who live and work in Corvallis. In addition to our two major sources of innovation, Hewlett Packard and Oregon State University, we have a wealth of small spinoffs, spinups and spinouts that have resulted in very flexible companies that create some of the brightest technology applications being commercialized anywhere.

Harvard's Creativity Index is based on two main criteria, 1) Economic Performance and 2) Innovation Output.

Corvallis Metropolitan Area
Economic Performance Indicators
(from Harvard School of Business)

Economic Performance
Employment
Total 2001 Private Employment was 28,257, 0.02% of national employment
Employment Growth
Employment growth per year from 1990-2001 was 2.83% vs. 1.91% for U.S.
Average Wages
Average wages in 2001 were $33,568 vs. $34,669 for the U.S. (3.18% below nat’l avg.)
Average Wage Growth
Average wage growth per year was 4.87% vs. 4% for the U.S.

Innovation Output
Patents
There were 54.15 patents per every 10,000 people vs. 7.7 in U.S.
Patent Growth
Patent growth between 1990-2001 was 14.96% vs. 5.9% in U.S.
Establishment Growth
Number of establishments in traded industries grew 1% between 1990-2001 vs. 1.27% in U.S.