Salem is located in northwestern Oregon, on the Willamette River. Salem is the capital of the state, and seat of Marion County. Salem is the administrative center of the state and a commercial, distribution, and processing hub for the fertile mid-Willamette Valley. Food processing employs the greatest number of workers engaged in manufacturing. High-technology industries are also important to the city’s economy. A 2006 real estate survey has estimated the population of Salem, Oregon at 152,239.