The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Portland For 2022


We used science and data to determine which neighborhoods in Portland are the best of the best.

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Whether it's celebrating Chinese New Year every year at Portland's Lan Su Chinese Garden or catching a film festival with the neighborhood meet up in the Alberta Arts District there's a great Portland neighborhood dripping in tradition and diversity just steps away from all things Portland. And if it's more than a few steps, Portland's TriMet connects everyone. You know what else connects everyone? If you guessed HomeSnacks list of the best neighborhoods in Portland for 2022, you guessed right.

But before we let you in on ten of Portland's best kept secrets, here's a little bit about how we uncovered Stumptown's best of the best. Real estate trends say that higher median incomes usually translate to more expensive homes; and, generally speaking, better schools and less crime, so we looked at the latest census data for the median income and median home prices in each one of 63 Portland's neighborhoods. And because jobs, safety, affordability, and amenities are important factors, too, we added those to the mix as well.

We are happy to report that Portland's crime rate is way above the national average and this is because of neighborhood crime watch programs in places like Homestead. This is also because many of the people in these neighborhoods have good jobs. Places like Irvington and Richmond are filled with professionals who work for major Portland companies like Nike and Columbia.

And, if you want to know what place is Portland's poster neighborhood for the rest of the state as well as the country, you're going to have to keep reading.

The experts say that Portland's residents are some of the some of the healthiest in the country. The life expectancy rate is close to 90 in some of PDX's neighborhoods. All the more reason to take a look at our list below to ensure that you make the most informed decision; because if you buy a home in one of Portland's best neighborhoods, you're going to be there a while.

So, what is Portland's best neighborhood? According to the latest data, that would be Alameda.

This is actually or ninth time ranking the best neighborhoods in Portland and each year the competition does not disappoint. So, to see the other neighborhoods that made the list, hit that down arrow.

For more Oregon reading, check out:

Best Neighborhoods In Portland

The 10 Best Neighborhoods To Live In Portland

Population: 9,040
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $588,075 (Third best)
Median Income: $110,249 (Fifth best)
More on Alameda: Homes For Sale | Data

Alameda Portland, OR

Population: 10,184
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $664,927 (best)
Median Income: $138,185 (best)
More on Forest Park: Homes For Sale | Data

Forest Park Portland, OR

Population: 8,968
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $488,486 (Seventh best)
Median Income: $76,071 (17th best)
More on Irvington: Homes For Sale | Data

Irvington Portland, OR

Population: 2,809
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $562,080 (Fifth best)
Median Income: $83,972 (Tenth best)
More on Homestead: Homes For Sale | Data

Population: 8,195
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $406,833 (19th best)
Median Income: $81,749 (12th best)
More on Corbett-Terwilliger-Lair Hill: Homes For Sale | Data

Population: 15,335
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $423,211 (13th best)
Median Income: $83,104 (11th best)
More on King: Homes For Sale | Data

Population: 736
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $554,700 (Sixth best)
Median Income: $115,628 (Fourth best)
More on Linnton: Homes For Sale | Data

Population: 18,996
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $408,912 (18th best)
Median Income: $71,477 (22nd best)
More on Richmond: Homes For Sale | Data

Population: 154
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $450,000 (11th best)
Median Income: $100,139 (Sixth best)
More on Ross Island: Homes For Sale | Data

Population: 5,822
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $455,088 (Tenth best)
Median Income: $94,644 (Ninth best)
More on Eastmoreland: Homes For Sale | Data

Eastmoreland Portland, OR

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Portland, OR Neighborhoods In 2022

In order to rank the best neighborhoods in Portland, we had to determine what criteria defines a "best".

Using crime, census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

  • High incomes
  • Low unemployment rates
  • Low crime
  • High home prices
  • High population densities (A proxy for things to do)

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 63 in each category, where 1 was the best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index the "Best City Neighborhood In Portland." We're lookin' at you, Alameda.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best places Portland, Oregon has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city from best to worst.

Summary: Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of The Best Neighborhoods In Portland

If you're measuring the neighborhoods in Portland where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Portland aren't all good. Centennial takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Portland.

We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below.

For more Oregon reading, check out:

Best Neighborhoods To Live In Portland For 2022 Detailed Data

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Alameda 9,040 $588,075 $110,249
2 Forest Park 10,184 $664,927 $138,185
3 Irvington 8,968 $488,486 $76,071
4 Homestead 2,809 $562,080 $83,972
5 Corbett-Terwilliger-Lair Hill 8,195 $406,833 $81,749
6 King 15,335 $423,211 $83,104
7 Linnton 736 $554,700 $115,628
8 Richmond 18,996 $408,912 $71,477
9 Ross Island 154 $450,000 $100,139
10 Eastmoreland 5,822 $455,088 $94,644
11 Mount Tabor 10,111 $412,250 $72,145
12 Center 9,781 $436,970 $78,398
13 Far Southwest 16,876 $418,864 $96,411
14 Bridlemile 4,890 $565,300 $119,354
15 Hillsdale 8,391 $458,562 $94,739
16 Sellwood-Moreland 11,716 $413,850 $64,873
17 Southwest Hills 6,279 $622,364 $131,143
18 Woodstock 9,124 $331,200 $76,433
19 Hosford 8,107 $417,230 $71,902
20 Northwest 21,700 $460,796 $65,129
21 Concordia 10,267 $369,755 $78,174
22 Boise 7,397 $377,431 $60,547
23 Maplewood-Ashcreek 17,712 $361,243 $79,174
24 Roseway 21,686 $373,988 $75,634
25 Arbor Lodge 7,144 $322,510 $69,712
26 Pearl District 5,591 $299,900 $60,041
27 Brooklyn 5,053 $339,340 $58,775
28 University Park 5,468 $349,740 $68,728
29 Hayhurst 5,669 $352,525 $73,651
30 Government Island 418 $281,500 $67,280
31 South Tabor 7,091 $308,000 $56,838
32 Mount Scott 7,892 $259,450 $56,753
33 Creston-Kenilworth 7,159 $290,750 $54,382
34 Overlook 6,889 $311,000 $66,513
35 Woodlawn 12,319 $318,440 $61,828
36 Foster Powell 7,801 $250,786 $54,018
37 Reed 4,338 $363,675 $48,087
38 Eliot 3,888 $392,700 $45,398
39 Kerns 5,562 $271,286 $51,634
40 Cully 20,717 $304,200 $64,329
41 Haden Island 565 $149,050 $60,522
42 Pleasant Valley 12,876 $246,390 $64,486
43 Cathedral Park 9,630 $251,200 $55,148
44 Montavilla 17,996 $253,833 $50,326
45 Wilkes 13,484 $248,111 $56,404
46 Buckman 8,869 $252,990 $42,765
47 Brentwood-Darlington 13,190 $203,925 $55,499
48 Hazelwood 24,435 $201,031 $41,993
49 Portsmith 10,654 $250,000 $46,666
50 Madison South 6,452 $253,100 $58,542
51 Lents 20,514 $194,508 $43,959
52 Downtown 12,061 $222,386 $35,908
53 Argay 8,877 $247,312 $66,521
54 Kenton 8,238 $261,390 $54,400
55 Bridgeton 838 $214,900 $50,927
56 Parkrose 12,252 $206,845 $48,714
57 Lloyd 2,686 $260,100 $40,808
58 Saintjohns 7,933 $227,860 $60,428
59 Sunderland 760 $198,900 $39,875
60 Mill Park 10,289 $205,840 $38,634
61 Old Town-Chinatown 2,802 $135,400 $30,369
62 Powellhurst 25,760 $186,475 $40,114
63 Centennial 20,932 $165,638 $41,022

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Portland.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.