Population
Boston
663,972
Portland
642,715
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
Portland
$88,792
Home Value
Boston
$710,400
Portland
$557,600
Rent
Boston
$2,093
Portland
$1,596
Crime Rate
Boston
6.28
Portland
7.20
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
Portland
156.3
Avg Temp
Boston
50°F
Portland
53°F
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
Portland
5.5%
How Similar Are Boston & Portland?
Portland is Boston's #5 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Boston
663,972
Portland
642,715
Both cities have similar populations — Boston at 663,972 and Portland at 642,715.
Violent Crime
Boston
6.28
Portland
7.20
Portland has a 13% higher violent crime than Boston.
Property Crime
Boston
20.22
Portland
55.26
Portland's property crime is significantly higher than Boston's — 63% difference.
Political Leaning
Boston
22.4%
Portland
17.2%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Boston has a stronger Democratic lean (23% difference).
Unemployment
Boston
6.0%
Portland
5.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
Boston
$94,755
Portland
$88,792
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Boston
$710,400
Portland
$557,600
Boston has a 22% higher home values than Portland.
Education
Boston
38.0%
Portland
40.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Boston
47.8%
Portland
70.1%
Portland has a 32% higher demographics than Boston.
Cost of Living
Boston
180.6
Portland
156.3
Boston has a 13% higher cost of living than Portland.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boston and Portland share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Boston
0
Portland
Portland leads in 7 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Portland leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPortland has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,922 vs $2,941 in Boston (53% lower). Portland has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,677 vs $2,476 in Boston (48% lower). Portland scores 221.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 272.1 in Boston.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Portland leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPortland has a single-family homes of 58.0% compared to 18.2% in Boston. Portland has a vacancy rate of 5.6% compared to 9.3% in Boston. Portland has a owner-occupied of 52.9% compared to 35.4% in Boston.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Portland leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPortland: 18 min vs Boston: 25 min for mean commute. Portland has a poverty rate of 12.8% compared to 16.9% in Boston. Portland has a work from home of 25.3% compared to 18.8% in Boston.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Boston leads
Source: FBI UCRBoston has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.78 compared to 7.27 in Portland. Boston has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.11 in Portland. Boston has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 20.22 compared to 55.26 in Portland.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate — Portland leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoPortland: 3.1" vs Boston: 16.5" for annual snowfall. Boston: 38.6" vs Portland: 47.2" for annual rainfall. Boston gets 20 more sunny days per year than Portland.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Portland leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauPortland has a bachelor's degree or higher of 40.5% compared to 38.0% in Boston. Portland has a high school diploma or higher of 51.6% compared to 50.8% in Boston.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a population of 663,972, about 1x the size of Portland (642,715). Boston skews younger with a median age of 33.2 vs 38.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Boston
Portland
Healthcare — Portland leads
Source: CMS Hospital ComparePortland: 3.8 vs Boston: 3.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Portland leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoston has a public transit of 24.0% compared to 7.3% in Portland. Portland has a bicycle of 3.7% compared to 2.1% in Boston. Portland: 18 min vs Boston: 25 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Boston, MA
Compare Boston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.