Portland vs Salem
Portland, OR compared with Salem, OR · 46 miles apart
Portland has 635,109 residents to Salem’s 181,779. Portland comes out ahead on median household income, bachelor's degree +, poverty rate. Salem does better on median rent, homeownership, average commute.
| Portland, OR | Salem, OR | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 635,109 | 181,779 |
| Density (per sq mi) | 4,758 | 3,708 |
| Median household income | $90,919 | $75,487 |
| Median home value | $581,500 | $416,900 |
| Median rent | $1,655 | $1,400 |
| Homeownership | 52% | 55.9% |
| Average commute | 24.1 min | 22 min |
| Median age | 38.8 | 36 |
| Bachelor's degree + | 53.8% | 31.5% |
| Poverty rate | 12.7% | 14.4% |
| Unemployment | 5.8% | 5.8% |
| Price to income | 6.4× | 5.5× |
Highlighted where one city is clearly better on that measure. Population, density, home value and median age carry no highlight — a higher number there is good or bad depending on what you want.
Full profiles
- Portland, ORClimate, crime, housing
- Salem, ORClimate, crime, housing