County profile

Multnomah County / Portland, OR

Reading this county

Multnomah County is Portland and the towns along the Columbia east of it. Mill Ends Park, a two-foot circle set into a downtown median, has been in the Guinness records as the world's smallest park since 1971. Oregon charges no sales tax and taxes the top slice of income at 9.9%. A median home in the county costs $582K against a typical household income of $79K, and the population is falling.

Cuisine Diversity: 52: 52 cuisines are counted here, more than in 96% of counties. A good share is sold from a cart window on a parking lot rather than across a table. >96% of 3,143 counties
Bike Score: 83: A Bike Score of 83 in the city of Portland, and only 22 counties rate higher. Tilikum Crossing over the Willamette is the largest car-free bridge in the country. >99% of 2,726 counties
Population Growth: ↓-1.5%: The county's population fell 1.5% in 2025, a steeper drop than in 94% of counties. Since 2021 a single-dwelling lot in the city of Portland has been able to hold up to four homes. <94% of 3,143 counties
Home Ownership Rate: 55%: 55% of homes here are lived in by their owner, a lower share than in 95% of counties. A landlord in the city of Portland who ends a tenancy without cause owes the tenant a relocation payment. <95% of 3,143 counties
The trade-off — State Income Tax: 9.9%: Oregon charges no sales tax at all, and taxes the top slice of income at 9.9%, higher than in all but 84 counties. When the state collects more than it forecast, the surplus goes back to taxpayers. >96% of 3,143 counties

Given that "Keep Portland Weird" is a city motto, it's not too surprising that Portland is brimming with odd trivia. For instance, it's the only major city in the continental U.S. that has a volcano within city limits? It's the extinct Mount Tabor.

Demographics and county data

Each comparison is against the US counties that publish the same measurement. Measurements where too many counties share a single value to be ranked show no comparison at all.

Abortion Regulation: Legal (Unlimited)
ACT/SAT Scores: #39
Air Quality: 5.6¹
Alcohol Regulation: #10
All Occupations: $75K¹
American Indians/Alaskan Natives: ↓-1.2%
Amish, Mennonites, etc: ↓-1.3%⁷
Any Airport: 0h 18m
Any Natural Disaster: High³
Architecture & Engineering: $99K¹⁰
Art Museums: 0
Arts, Design, Sports, Media & Entertainment: $73K¹⁰
Asian Americans: ↑6.3%
Asian Language Speakers: ↑5.0%
Avalanche: Very Low³
Average School Rating: 44.1⁶
Beergardens & Brewpubs: 50+
Bike Score: 83
Blacks/African Americans: ↓-3.6%
Boating: 236
Broadband Internet: 88%
Buddhists: ↑1.1%⁷
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance: $38K¹⁰
Business & Financial Operations: $81K¹⁰
Cannabis Regulation: Legal
Cat Friendly Rentals: 54%
Catholics: ↑1.9%⁷
City Population: 653K
Climate Change Risk: 3.2
Coastal Flooding: Low³
Cold Wave: Very Low³
Community & Social Service: $57K¹⁰
Commute Time: 28
Computer & Mathematical: $100K¹⁰
Construction & Extraction: $64K¹⁰
County Population: 803K
Cuisine Diversity: 52
Cycling: 50+
Dentists: 10.0
Dog Friendly Rentals: 58%
Drought: none³
Earthquakes: High³
Education, Training, & Library: $70K¹⁰
Educational Attainment: 35%
Elevation: 1,099'⁸
English Speakers: ↓-4.7%
Farmers Markets: 25
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry: $41K¹⁰
Fatal Dog Attacks: 1
Fatal Wildlife Attacks: 0
Fire Ants: none
Fishing: 187
Food Preparation & Serving Related: $34K¹⁰
Forests: 43%
Freshwater Access: 423
Gluten-Free Options: 50+
Golf: 44
Gun Open Carry Regulation: Legal (Restricted)
Hail: Very Low³
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical: $115K¹⁰
Healthcare Support: $42K¹⁰
Heat Wave: Medium³
High School Graduation Rate: 77%¹
Hiking: 341
Hindus: ↑0.2%⁷
Hispanics/Latinos: ↑2.2%
History Museums: 4
Home Ownership Rate: 55%
Homelessness: 218
Homicide Rate: 4¹
Hospitals: 6
Hurricanes: none³
Ice Storms: Medium³
Indo-European Language Speakers: ↑2.7%
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair: $58K¹⁰
Investment Potential: 0 / 100
Jehovah's Witnesses: ↓-0.5%⁷
Jews: ↑0.4%⁷
Landslide: Low³
LDS / Mormons: ↑0.0%⁷
Legal: $109K¹⁰
Life Expectancy: 80¹
Life, Physical, & Social Science: $76K¹⁰
Lightning: Very Low³
Live Music: 77
Major Airport: 0h 18m
Major City Proximity: Major City
Major League Baseball: 3h 05m
Major League Soccer: 0h 08m
Management: $113K¹⁰
Median Age: 37 years¹¹
Median Home Price: $582K⁴
Median Rental - 1 BR Apartment: $813
Median Rental - 2 BR Apartment: $983
Median Rental - 3 BR Apartment: $1,377
Median Rental - 4 BR Apartment: $1,651
Median Rental - Room: $1,181
Median Rental - Single Family Home: $2,662⁴
Median Rental - Studio Apartment: $674
Mental Health Providers: 87.7
Meth Labs: 0
Michelin Rated Restaurants: none
Minor League Baseball: 2h 32m
Mountains: 4,957'⁸
Multiracials: ↑2.4%
Muslims: ↑0.1%⁷
National Parks: 2h 37m
Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders: ↑0.5%
NBA Basketball: 0h 04m
NFL Football: 3h 05m
NHL Hockey: 3h 09m
Not Religious / Atheists / Agnostics: ↑27.0%
Nuclear Strike: Direct Target
Obesity Rate: 24%¹
Office & Administrative Support: $46K¹⁰
Orthodox Christians: ↓-0.2%⁷
Other Language Speakers: ↑0.7%
Other Relocation Incentives: none
Park Score: 90%⁹
People 0-9 Years Old: ↓-1.0%
People 10-19 Years Old: ↓-2.8%
People 20-29 Years Old: ↑3.1%
People 30-39 Years Old: ↑6.9%
People 40-49 Years Old: ↑2.6%
People 50-59 Years Old: ↓-1.8%
People 60-69 Years Old: ↓-2.4%
People 70-79 Years Old: ↓-2.8%
People 80+ Years Old: ↓-1.8%
Performing Arts: 2
Personal Care & Service: $38K¹⁰
Political Orientation: 84% Dems
Population Density: 1,891
Population Growth: ↓-1.5%
Poverty Rate: 11.2%
Primary Care Physicians: 14.7¹
Private/Home School Regulation: #16
Production: $46K¹⁰
Property Crime Rate: 5,203
Property Tax: 0.98%
Protective Service: $58K¹⁰
Protestants / Non-Denominationals: ↓-19.2%⁷
Rain: 62"
Regional Theatre: 14
River Flooding: Medium³
Sales & Related: $49K¹⁰
Sales Tax: 0.0%
Same Sex Households: ↑0.6%
Scenic Beauty: #7
Seacoast Proximity: 1h 44m
Seasons: 36 °F
Shark Attacks: 0
Single Parent Households: ↓-2.1%
Skiing: 1h 17m
Small or Major Airport: 0h 18m
Smokers: 16%¹
Snow: 3"
Spanish Speakers: ↑1.9%
State Income Tax: 9.9%
Strong Wind: Very Low³
Summer Heat: 77 °F
Summer Mugginess: none
Sunny Days: 144
Termite Infestation: Light
Tobacco Regulation: #9
Top School Rating: 99.1⁶
Tornadoes: Medium³
Traffic: 1.77M
Transit Score: 49
Transportation & Material Moving: $44K¹⁰
Tsunami: none³
Typical Expenses: $55K⁵
Typical Expenses: $145K⁵
Typical Expenses: $109K⁵
Typical Expenses: $175K⁵
Typical Expenses: $134K⁵
Typical Expenses: $110K⁵
Typical Expenses: $86K⁵
Typical Expenses: $177K⁵
Typical Expenses: $100K⁵
Typical Expenses: $74K⁵
Typical Expenses: $74K⁵
Typical Expenses: $97K⁵
Unemployment Rate: 8.6%¹
Vegetarian Friendliness: 50+
Violent Crime Rate: 474²
Volcanic Activity: Very High³
Walk Score: 67
Water Quality: 1/4
Whites: ↓-6.8%
Wildfires: Very Low³
Windiness: 15 mph
Wineries: 24
Winter Cold: 42 °F
Winter Weather: Medium³

Cities

Alameda, Arleta, Bellrose, Bonneville, Bonny Slope, Bridal Veil, Bridlemile, Burlingame, Burlington, Cedar Mill, Champ, Corbett, Corbett Station, Dodson, Dunthorpe, Englewood, Fairview, Faloma, Fir, Folkenberg, Gilbert, Gilbert Station, Graham, Green Hills, Gresham, Harborton, Hillsdale, Holbrook, Interlachen, Jenne, Kings Heights, Ladd Circle, Lake Oswego, Latourell, Linnemann, Maywood Park, Milwaukie, Multnomah Falls Recreation Site, Orient, Pleasant Home, Portland, Portland Heights, Powell Valley, Powellhurst, Riverwood, Ruby, Russellville, Springdale, Sycamore, Troutdale, University Park, Vermont Hills, Villa Ridge, Warrendale, West Haven-Sylvan, Westmoreland, Whitwood Court, Willamette Heights, Wood Village, Woodstock