Population
Portland
642,715
Seattle
741,440
Median Income
Portland
$88,792
Seattle
$121,984
Home Value
Portland
$557,600
Seattle
$912,100
Rent
Portland
$1,596
Seattle
$1,998
Crime Rate
Portland
7.20
Seattle
7.75
Cost of Living
Portland
156.3
Seattle
208.3
Avg Temp
Portland
53°F
Seattle
51°F
Unemployment
Portland
5.5%
Seattle
4.2%
How Similar Are Portland & Seattle?
Seattle is Portland's #11 most similar city
2 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Portland
642,715
Seattle
741,440
Seattle has a 13% larger population than Portland.
Violent Crime
Portland
7.20
Seattle
7.75
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 7% difference.
Property Crime
Portland
55.26
Seattle
50.08
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 9% difference.
Political Leaning
Portland
17.2%
Seattle
22.5%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Seattle has a stronger Democratic lean (23% difference).
Unemployment
Portland
5.5%
Seattle
4.2%
Portland has a 24% higher unemployment than Seattle.
Median Income
Portland
$88,792
Seattle
$121,984
Seattle has a 27% higher median income than Portland.
Home Values
Portland
$557,600
Seattle
$912,100
Seattle has a 39% higher home values than Portland.
Education
Portland
40.5%
Seattle
51.2%
Seattle has a 21% higher education than Portland.
Demographics
Portland
70.1%
Seattle
61.8%
Portland has a 12% higher demographics than Seattle.
Cost of Living
Portland
156.3
Seattle
208.3
Seattle has a 25% higher cost of living than Portland.
2 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Portland and Seattle differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Portland
0
Seattle
Portland leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Portland leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDPortland scores 221.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 314.0 in Seattle. Portland has a living wage (family of 4) of $162,511 vs $216,614 in Seattle (25% lower). Portland has a living wage (1 adult) of $68,755 vs $91,644 in Seattle (25% lower).
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 ACSSeattle has a median home value of $912,100 vs $557,600 in Portland (39% higher). Portland has a single-family homes of 58.0% compared to 43.8% in Seattle. Portland has a vacancy rate of 5.6% compared to 7.8% in Seattle.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Seattle leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSeattle has a per capita income of $82,508 vs $55,312 in Portland (33% higher). Seattle has a unemployment rate of 4.2% compared to 5.5% in Portland. Seattle has a poverty rate of 9.9% compared to 12.8% 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 — Portland leads
Source: FBI UCRSeattle has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.07 compared to 0.11 in Portland. Portland has a property crime clearance of 5.4% compared to 3.7% in Seattle. Portland has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 7.27 compared to 11.52 in Seattle.
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 gets 14 more sunny days per year than Seattle. Portland averages 62°F, about 4°F warmer than Seattle. Portland: 47.2" vs Seattle: 49.9" for annual rainfall.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Seattle leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauSeattle has a bachelor's degree or higher of 51.2% compared to 40.5% in Portland. Seattle has a high school diploma or higher of 58.5% compared to 51.6% in Portland.
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 ACSSeattle has a population of 741,440, about 1.2x the size of Portland (642,715). Seattle skews younger with a median age of 35.5 vs 38.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Portland
Seattle
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSeattle: 5 vs Portland: 4 for with emergency services. Portland: 3.8 vs Seattle: 3.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Seattle leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPortland has a bicycle of 3.7% compared to 2.5% in Seattle. Seattle has a public transit of 13.9% compared to 7.3% in Portland. Portland has a drive alone of 50.5% compared to 37.6% in Seattle.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Portland, OR
Compare Portland 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.