The Portland metro area: Clackamas, Clark, Columbia, Multnomah, Skamania, Washington and Yamhill counties · Population 3,074,512 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in the Portland area
Household size in the Portland area
| Period | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.57 | 2.50 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.63 | 2.55 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.63 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.51 | 2.50 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.06 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
The average household in the Portland area has 2.51 people, a bit under the U.S. average of 2.65. Household size has edged down from 2.57 in 2006–10, in line with the national trend. The biggest households, usually families with children, are concentrated in the east.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in the Portland area
| Period | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.3 | 39.0 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 38.3 | 40.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 39.3 | 40.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 41.0 | 41.6 | 40.1 |
| Change | +3.7 | +2.5 | +2.3 |
Half of the people in the Portland area are younger than 41.0 and half are older, close to the national median of 40.1. The median age has climbed from 37.3 in 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in the Portland area
| Period | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.5% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 10.3% | 10.8% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.4% | 9.9% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.5% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.0 pts | −0.1 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are less common in the Portland area than nationally: 9.5%, against 11.6%. The single-parent share has edged down 1.0 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country. The Portland area has a lower share of single-parent households than the great majority of large metro areas.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in the Portland area
Renters in the Portland area
| Period | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.6% | 36.2% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 39.1% | 38.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 37.6% | 37.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 38.3% | 36.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | +1.7 pts | +0.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Nearly four in ten households in the Portland area rent their homes (38.3%), a bit above the national share of 34.8%. Among homeowners, 31.7% have no mortgage at all, below the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the center and least common in the southwest. Since 2006–10, the renter share has risen 1.7 points, mirroring the country.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in the Portland area
| Period | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.4% | 8.9% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.8% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.1% | 8.3% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 7.1% | 7.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.3 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in the Portland area than nationally: 7.1%, against 9.6% for the U.S. The figure for Oregon is much the same.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in the Portland area
| Period | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1977 | 1976 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1978 | 1977 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1980 | 1978 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1981 | 1981 | 1980 |
| Change | +4 | +5 | +6 |
The typical home in the Portland area was built around 1981, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). The median year built has moved up from 1977 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Newer construction is concentrated in the southwest, while the center has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in the Portland area
| Period | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $961 | $870 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,105 | $982 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,374 | $1,183 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,794 | $1,601 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$833 | +$731 | +$606 |
Rent in the Portland area runs $1,794 a month at the median, utilities included, above the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $833 a month since 2006–10, up 87%, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 31.4% of the typical renter's income, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in the Portland area
Bachelor's degrees in the Portland area
| Period | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 33.3% | 29.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 34.5% | 30.2% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 39.2% | 33.5% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 42.6% | 36.4% | 35.6% |
| Change | +9.3 pts | +7.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
Just over four in ten adults 25 and older in the Portland area (42.6%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree is up 9.3 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the west and least in the east.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in the Portland area
| Period | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 90.0% | 88.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 90.6% | 89.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 91.9% | 90.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 93.2% | 91.5% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.2 pts | +3.0 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in the Portland area is above the national rate: 93.2% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. The share with a diploma has risen 3.2 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country. Only nine of the 100 large U.S. metro areas have a higher share of high school graduates.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in the Portland area
| Period | Portland area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.6% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 9.6% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.7% | 5.6% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.6% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −4.0 pts | −3.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little easier to find in the Portland area than nationally: unemployment was 4.6%, against 5.4%. Unemployment is down 4.0 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Largest cities in the Portland area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland area (all) | 2.51 | 41.0 | 9.5% | 38.3% | 7.1% | 1981 | $1,794 | 42.6% | 93.2% | 4.6% |
| Vancouver | 2.53 | 39.7 | 10.7% | 41.9% | 5.3% | 1988 | $1,860 | 33.7% | 91.7% | 5.5% |
| Beaverton | 2.47 | 39.7 | 9.4% | 45.4% | 4.9% | 1987 | $1,963 | 50.4% | 92.8% | 4.4% |
| Gresham | 2.72 | 37.6 | 15.0% | 43.7% | 6.1% | 1983 | $1,701 | 22.7% | 86.6% | 5.5% |
| Hillsboro | 2.60 | 37.2 | 10.5% | 47.6% | 4.6% | 1992 | $2,012 | 41.9% | 90.6% | 4.7% |
| Tigard | 2.36 | 43.0 | 9.0% | 37.8% | 4.4% | 1985 | $1,840 | 49.8% | 95.2% | 4.5% |
| Oregon City | 2.70 | 40.8 | 6.8% | 25.9% | 5.6% | 1985 | $1,910 | 32.9% | 94.1% | 4.2% |
| Aloha | 2.80 | 37.0 | 10.3% | 32.7% | 5.7% | 1987 | $2,007 | 34.7% | 88.8% | 4.2% |
| Lake Oswego | 2.44 | 46.8 | 6.2% | 31.1% | 6.5% | 1979 | $2,246 | 73.1% | 98.9% | 4.3% |
| Mcminnville | 2.56 | 41.3 | 11.4% | 35.0% | 6.1% | 1989 | $1,552 | 27.3% | 88.0% | 5.8% |
| Camas | 2.97 | 41.4 | 8.9% | 21.7% | 5.0% | 1997 | $2,286 | 52.2% | 95.6% | 4.4% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: Charlotte area · Orlando area · St. Louis area · Baltimore area · Denver area · Tampa area · San Diego area · Minneapolis area · Seattle area · Detroit area
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up the Portland area. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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