Population
Boulder
106,274
Portland
68,505
Median Income
Boulder
$85,364
Portland
$76,174
Home Value
Boulder
$982,600
Portland
$452,600
Rent
Boulder
$1,924
Portland
$1,487
Crime Rate
Boulder
3.22
Portland
2.67
Cost of Living
Boulder
191.3
Portland
139.5
Avg Temp
Boulder
N/A
Portland
N/A
Unemployment
Boulder
6.1%
Portland
4.4%
How Similar Are Boulder & Portland?
Portland is Boulder's #14 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Boulder
106,274
Portland
68,505
Boulder has a 36% larger population than Portland.
Violent Crime
Boulder
3.22
Portland
2.67
Boulder has a 17% higher violent crime than Portland.
Property Crime
Boulder
27.33
Portland
24.79
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 9% difference.
Political Leaning
Boulder
20.8%
Portland
30.6%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Portland has a stronger Democratic lean (32% difference).
Unemployment
Boulder
6.1%
Portland
4.4%
Boulder has a 28% higher unemployment than Portland.
Median Income
Boulder
$85,364
Portland
$76,174
Boulder has a 11% higher median income than Portland.
Home Values
Boulder
$982,600
Portland
$452,600
Boulder's home values is significantly higher than Portland's — 54% difference.
Education
Boulder
44.0%
Portland
44.7%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Boulder
81.8%
Portland
80.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 2% difference.
Cost of Living
Boulder
191.3
Portland
139.5
Boulder has a 27% higher cost of living than Portland.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Boulder and Portland differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Boulder
0
Portland
Boulder leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Portland leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPortland scores 198.3 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 310.2 in Boulder. Portland scores 88.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 130.5 in Boulder. Portland scores 139.5 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 191.3 in Boulder.
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 — Boulder leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoulder has a median home value of $982,600 vs $452,600 in Portland (117% higher). Boulder has a vacancy rate of 6.3% compared to 9.9% in Portland. Portland has a median rent of $1,487 vs $1,924 in Boulder (29% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Boulder leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPortland has a poverty rate of 11.3% compared to 21.8% in Boulder. Boulder: 61,216 vs Portland: 41,586 for labor force. Boulder has a work from home of 31.6% compared to 21.5% in Portland.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Boulder leads
Source: FBI UCRPortland has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.46 compared to 3.83 in Boulder. Boulder has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.07 in Portland. Portland has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.67 compared to 2.42 in Boulder.
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
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg 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 high school diploma or higher of 56.1% compared to 47.6% in Boulder. Portland has a bachelor's degree or higher of 44.7% compared to 44.0% in Boulder.
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 ACSBoulder has a population of 106,274, about 1.6x the size of Portland (68,505). Boulder skews younger with a median age of 28.8 vs 37.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Boulder
Portland
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBoulder: 4.3 vs Portland: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Portland: 5 vs Boulder: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Boulder leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoulder has a bicycle of 7.6% compared to 1.2% in Portland. Boulder has a public transit of 5.9% compared to 2.7% in Portland. Boulder has a work from home of 31.6% compared to 21.5% in Portland.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Boulder, CO
Compare Boulder 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.