Portland metropolitan area


The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area with its core in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. It has 5 principal cities, the largest being Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area used by the United States Census Bureau and other entities. The OMB defines the area as comprising Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill Counties in Oregon, and Clark and Skamania Counties in Washington. The area had a population of 2,512,859 at the 2020 census, an increase of over 12% since 2010.
The Oregon portion of the metropolitan area is the state's largest urban center, while the Washington portion of the metropolitan area is the state's third-largest urban center after Seattle and Spokane. Portions of the Portland metro area are under the jurisdiction of Metro, a directly elected regional government which, among other things, is responsible for land-use planning in the region.

Metropolitan statistical area

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,512,859 people within the MSA.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,226,009 people, 867,794 households, and 551,008 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA were as follows:
  • White: 76.3%
  • Hispanic or Latino : 10.9%
  • Asian: 5.7%
  • Black or African American: 2.9%
  • American Indian and Alaskan Native: 0.9%
  • Pacific Islander: 0.5%
  • Two or more races: 4.1%
  • Some other race: 4.9%
In 2010 the median income for a household in the MSA was $53,078 and the median income for a family was $64,290. The per capita income was $27,451.
The Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro Metropolitan Statistical Area, the 23rd largest in the United States, has a population of 2,226,009. Of them, 1,789,580 live in Oregon while the remaining 436,429 live in Washington. It consists of Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Columbia and Yamhill counties in Oregon, as well as Clark and Skamania counties in Washington. The area includes Portland and the neighboring cities of Vancouver, Beaverton, Gresham, Hillsboro, Milwaukie, Lake Oswego, Oregon City, Fairview, Wood Village, Troutdale, Tualatin, Tigard, West Linn, Battle Ground, Camas and Washougal.
Changes in house prices for the metro area are publicly tracked on a regular basis using the Case–Shiller index; the statistic is published by Standard & Poor's and is also a component of S&P's 20-city composite index of the value of the U.S. residential real estate market.
County2024 Estimate2020 CensusChangeAreaDensity
Clackamas County, Oregon--
Columbia County, Oregon--
Multnomah County, Oregon--
Washington County, Oregon--
Yamhill County, Oregon--
Clark County, Washington--
Skamania County, Washington--
Total--

Portland-Vancouver-Salem Combined Statistical Area

As of July 2022, the Portland–Vancouver–Salem, OR–WA Combined Statistical Area consists of five Metropolitan Statistical Areas, covering nine counties in Oregon and three counties in Washington:
The 2022 population estimate is 3,285,275, ranked 19th largest in the United States.
This area includes the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area; Salem, OR Metropolitan Statistical Area, and other surrounding areas.

Cities and other communities

Major cities in the region in addition to Portland include Beaverton, Gresham, Hillsboro in Oregon, and Vancouver in Washington. The area also includes the smaller cities of Barlow, Banks, Canby, Clatskanie, Cornelius, Durham, Estacada, Fairview, Forest Grove, Gladstone, Happy Valley, Johnson City, King City, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Molalla, Oregon City, Rainier, Rivergrove, Sandy, Sherwood, North Plains, Tigard, Troutdale, Tualatin, West Linn, Wilsonville, Wood Village in Oregon, as well as Battle Ground, Camas, La Center, North Bonneville, Ridgefield, Stevenson and Washougal in Washington.
It includes the unincorporated suburban communities in Oregon of Aloha, Beavercreek, Boring, Cedar Mill, Clackamas, Damascus, Dunthorpe, Garden Home, Raleigh Hills, and West Slope, as well as Hazel Dell, Minnehaha, Salmon Creek, Walnut Grove and Orchards in Washington.
;Major:
  • Portland
  • Vancouver
  • Hillsboro
  • Gresham
  • Beaverton
;Other:
  • Amity
  • Battle Ground
  • Banks
  • Barlow
  • Camas
  • Canby
  • Carlton
  • Clatskanie
  • Columbia City
  • Cornelius
  • Dayton
  • Dundee
  • Durham
  • Estacada
  • Fairview
  • Forest Grove
  • Gaston
  • Gladstone
  • Happy Valley
  • Johnson City
  • King City
  • La Center
  • Lafayette
  • Lake Oswego
  • Maywood Park
  • McMinnville
  • Milwaukie
  • Molalla
  • Newberg
  • North Bonneville
  • North Plains
  • Oregon City
  • Prescott
  • Rainier
  • Ridgefield
  • Rivergrove
  • St. Helens
  • Sandy
  • Scappoose
  • Sheridan
  • Sherwood
  • Stevenson
  • Tigard
  • Troutdale
  • Tualatin
  • Vernonia
  • Washougal
  • West Linn
  • Willamina
  • Wilsonville
  • Wood Village
  • Woodland
  • Yacolt
  • Yamhill

    Transportation

Portland is where Interstate 84 starts at Interstate 5, both major highways in the Pacific Northwest. Other primary roads include Interstate 205, an eastern bypass of the urban core, U.S. Route 26, which heads west and southeast, U.S. Route 30, which follows the Oregon side of the Columbia River northwest and east, mirrored by Washington State Route 14 east from Vancouver, and Oregon Route 217, which connects US 26 with I-5 in the south, travelling through Beaverton. Both US 26 and US 30 go to the Oregon Coast. SR 500 runs from Interstate 5 to SR 503. Padden Parkway runs from NE 78th St and east to NE 162nd Ave.
Transit service on the Oregon side is generally provided by TriMet. In addition, Sandy Area Metro serves Sandy, South Clackamas Transportation District serves nearby Molalla, Canby Area Transit serves Canby and South Metro Area Regional Transit serves Wilsonville. Service in Clark County is provided by C-Tran. In Columbia County, the Columbia County Rider provides transit service on weekdays connecting St. Helens with downtown Portland and connecting Scappoose and St. Helens with certain points in urban Washington County, including the PCC Rock Creek campus, Tanasbourne and the Willow Creek MAX light rail station.

Major airports

  • Portland International Airport
  • Portland-Hillsboro Airport
  • Aurora State Airport
  • Salem Municipal Airport
  • Portland-Troutdale Airport

    Passenger rail

Several daily Amtrak trains serve Portland Union Station as well as suburban stops in Oregon City and Vancouver. The Coast Starlight runs from Los Angeles to Seattle while Cascades connects Eugene to Vancouver, BC. The Empire Builder heads east to Chicago.

Major highways

s, numbered as Interstate, U.S. and Oregon Routes, in the metropolitan area include:
Notable highways never built, or removed altogether, include Mount Hood Freeway, Interstate 505, and Harbor Drive.

Sports

The Portland MSA is home to a number of professional and semi-professional sports teams, including the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers, the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League, the Portland Fire of the WNBA, and the Portland Loggers of the North American Rugby League. Other teams include the Portland Pickles and the Hillsboro Hops. Portland is also home to two NCAA Division 1 universities, the Portland State Vikings and the Portland Pilots.
The Portland MSA also hosts a number of amateur sports, including college and high school sports. The high school rugby championships are held annually in the Portland MSA, and draw crowds of 8,000 to 10,000 supporters.

Politics

The Portland metropolitan area is heavily Democratic and has voted for that party's presidential candidate in every election since 1988. This is helped by Multnomah County, which has given the Democratic nominee over 70% of the vote in every election since 2004.