Best PlacesCentennial, Portland, OR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Centennial, Portland, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Centennial, Portland ranks 3,842nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Centennial, Portland
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Centennial, Portland's strengths and weaknesses
Where Centennial, Portland ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- School gradeC+, better than 76% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 71% of neighborhoods
Where Centennial, Portland ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,741 a month, better than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
- Short commute29.0 minutes each way, better than only 23% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Centennial, Portland
A household needs to earn about $108,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Centennial, Portland home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $67,346, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Centennial, Portland's effective rate of 0.98%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Centennial, Portland
Centennial, Portland's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Centennial, Portland.
Who works in Centennial, Portland, and how
Work in Centennial, Portland centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in Centennial, Portland
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Centennial, Portland.
What the weather is like in Centennial, Portland, month by month
Centennial, Portland sees roughly 109 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 37. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 42° | 37° |
| April | 65° | 53° | 42° |
| July | 87° | 71° | 57° |
| October | 67° | 56° | 46° |
Flying in and out of Centennial, Portland
Portland International sits about 8 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 9.1 million passengers in 2025, with 117 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Centennial, Portland
Schools across Centennial, Portland average a C+, better than 76% of neighborhoods.
Top high schools
- Centennial High SchoolA+ · 98% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Centennial, Portland school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Centennial, Portland measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Centennial, Portland against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Centennial, Portland suits
Retirees
The weather beats 57% of neighborhoods and it is quieter than 60%.
Common questions about living in Centennial, Portland
Is Centennial, Portland a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Centennial, Portland ranks 3,842nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on clean air, state infrastructure, and cell coverage, and lowest on childcare costs and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Centennial, Portland expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $401,465. The overall cost of living runs about 3% above the national average. Set against a $67,346 median income, cost of living beats 28% of neighborhoods.
Is Centennial, Portland safe?
Centennial, Portland is safer than 50% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $600 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Centennial, Portland?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 48 with lows near 37. That works out to about 109 pleasant days a year, more than 57% of neighborhoods.
Is Centennial, Portland good for families?
Schools beat 76% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 50%, and childcare runs $1,741 a month.
Compare Centennial, Portland with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Centennial, Portland. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Centennial, Portland represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Centennial, Portland detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Centennial, Portland: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Centennial, Portland: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Centennial, Portland: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Centennial, Portland: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Centennial, Portland detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.