Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

Metro Area Profile

2,520,987 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan area.

62out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 43% of 379 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
Opportunity221st of 379 metros measured51
Growth427th of 821 metros measured48
Housing affordability747th of 822 metros measured66
ClimateTop 10% of 822 metros measured78
Physical resilienceTop 49% of 822 metros measured57
AccessTop 24% of 822 metros measured90
Economic stabilityTop 4% of 822 metros measured90
The quick read

Unemployment is 5.0% and median household income $97,436, putting employment conditions in the middle range of published metro profiles.

Buying strains local incomes far more than renting does — the median home is 5.7 times median household income, against a historic benchmark near three — while rent takes 21% of it.

A major airport is 6 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

At a glance

Population
2,520,987
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$97,436
Top 4% nationally
Density
377/sq mi
6687.4 sq mi of land
Median age
39.3
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Nearest major airport
PDX
6 mi · Portland Intl
Median home value
$559,400
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 5.0% is lower than 22% of the 379 measured US metros.

Employment fell 1.0% over the past year, to 1,301,484 employed residents.

43% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 93% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 96% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$858$97,436Top 4%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$417$51,936Top 5%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate9.5%Bottom 13%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute26.9 minTop 23%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher42.5%Top 7%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Employment1,301,484Top 6%of 379June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-1.6%Bottom 24%of 379June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-1.0%Bottom 40%of 379June 2026
Labor force1,369,931Top 6%of 379June 2026
Labor force participation66.5%Top 12%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$78,430Top 3%of 3812025 OEWS
Median annual wage$60,690Top 4%of 3812025 OEWS
Metro employment1,208,410Top 6%of 3812025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.2%Top 37%of 379June 2026
Unemployment rate5.0%Top 22%of 379June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/065.23.3
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 5.0% in June 2026. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.
Largest occupations — Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers34,840$35,620
Retail Salespersons28,230$37,340
Stockers and Order Fillers26,750$44,440
Registered Nurses24,220$130,310
Home Health and Personal Care Aides22,860$45,570
General and Operations Managers21,070$121,050

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,724 takes 21% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 5.7 times median household income here, well above the historic benchmark, at a level conventionally described as seriously unaffordable.

Rent as a share of income
21.2%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
5.7×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,724
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$559,400
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income5.74Top 8%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate61.7%Bottom 11%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±5231,062,495Top 3%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$8$1,724Top 4%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,566$559,400Top 5%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income21.2%Top 18%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate4.9%Bottom 2%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
48/ 100
Ranks 427 of 821 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 2,537,904 in 2024.

At 3.6 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
9,139
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.6
Top 37% nationally
Year over year
−0%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
34.4%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320242538k2510k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 82°F and January a low of 37°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 40.7 inches.

30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station PORTLAND TROUTDALE AP, 5.0 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND6.2"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation40.7"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low37°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high82°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing28°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

57 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, heat wave and volcanic activity.

EarthquakeElevated
Heat waveModerate
Volcanic activityModerate

Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, landslide, ice storm, cold wave, winter weather, strong wind, lightning, wildfire, tornado, avalanche, coastal flooding, hail, drought.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Three things people look for are missing from every AreaProfile page, and each is missing for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offences reported to police are published by department rather than by town, and only where a department reported every month of the year. No municipal department reports for this place — many smaller communities are policed by the county — so there is no figure to show. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Taxes and full cost of living
No public source publishes either with national coverage and a method open enough to check. Housing affordability above is computed from published rent, price and income, and excludes transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes — commuting cost in particular tends to offset suburban housing savings. Nothing here is individualised tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house. School attendance zones, insurance pricing and the character of a neighbourhood all vary within the places measured here.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest 6 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Portland IntlPDX6 mi11,000 ft
Mahlon Sweet FldEUG108 mi8,009 ft
Seattle-Tacoma IntlSEA128 mi11,901 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
62
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 30, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.