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Place dossier plate
SheetME-PORTLAND-ME · Portland, ME 68,505 pop · income 57th pct · 89 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Portland
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Portland on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Gary · lowest
37,380
Gary · lowest
37,380 median HH income
27.2% of the leader · rank #1
Lenox · near
76,164
Lenox · near
76,164 median HH income
55.5% of the leader · rank #2
Orchard Mesa · near
76,173
Orchard Mesa · near
76,173 median HH income
55.5% of the leader · rank #3
Portland · this city
76,174
Portland · this city
76,174 median HH income
55.5% of the leader · rank #4
Somerset · near
76,176
Somerset · near
76,176 median HH income
55.5% of the leader · rank #5
Essexville · near
76,182
Essexville · near
76,182 median HH income
55.5% of the leader · rank #6
Union City · highest
137,194
Union City · highest
137,194 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Portland on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 68,505.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Portland - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Portland places in the 57th percentile for household income and the 19th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
57th
percentile, household income
82nd
percentile, home value
69th
percentile, median rent
19th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Portland, ME
Portland is a small city in Maine, home to 68,505 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Portland report a median income of $76,174 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 5.3%. Home values in Portland run a median of $452,600, and the median resident age is 37.5 years. 59.2% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 67.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 127 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 67% from five years earlier. Portland's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 2745.6 in FBI UCR data, above the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Portland's yearly average temperature at 47.5°F with 48.1 inches of precipitation per year and 68.7 inches of snowfall.
Maine tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Maine at 97.1 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,448 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Maine's average monthly utility costs around $273 (state average). Workers in Portland report an average commute of 15.6 minutes, with 56.1% driving alone and 21.5% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 56.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Portland's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to comparison shortlist to climate and hazard context to reported crime to within-city variation to population change to housing and income to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Portland, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, commute-mode shares, local building permits.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What does the journey to work look like in Portland?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 56.1%. The reported mean trip to work is 15.6 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Which cities make useful reference points for Portland?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Maine, the closest population matches are Lewiston (37,886 residents, $56,558 income); Bangor (31,663 residents, $58,096 income); South Portland (26,780 residents, $84,563 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Schenectady, NY (68,521 residents); Gary, IN (68,604 residents); Shawnee, KS (68,175 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 47.5°F, with 48.1 inches of precipitation and 68.7 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Maine is 56.7 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
PlainCities matches 89 Census tracts to this city.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Portland?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2745.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 20% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
2745.6
Violent rate
266.9
Property rate
2478.7
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Is Portland growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,424 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 127 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
2020 estimate
68,487
2025 estimate
69,911
Period change
+2.1%
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
How far does income reach against housing in Portland?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
5.9×
Home value
$452,600
Household income
$76,174
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 15 public schools within the city match. 59.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
5.3%
Bachelor's degree+
59.2%
Matched public schools
15
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Above median income · poverty 5.3% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
97.1 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Maine average
C
City profile score · Portland, ME
58/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A+
59.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate C+
5.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income C
$76,174
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Cost of living C-
97.1 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
267 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Portland profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 91/100 (A+) · 59.2%
Poverty rate: 63/100 (C+) · 5.3%
Household income: 56/100 (C) · $76,174
Cost of living: 53/100 (C-) · 97.1 index
Violent crime: 38/100 (F) · 267 /100k
Where Portland sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Portland's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Portland highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Portland, ME (this city): home $452,600, crime 2,746/100k
Schenectady, NY : home $152,000, crime 3,775/100k
Shawnee, KS : home $332,900, crime 2,049/100k
Eagan, MN : home $380,800, crime 1,873/100k
Union City, CA : home $1,058,200, crime 2,643/100k
Lewiston, ME : home $214,200, crime 1,774/100k
Bangor, ME : home $206,300, crime 4,399/100k
South Portland, ME : home $405,800, crime 1,433/100k
Auburn, ME : home $254,600, crime 2,644/100k
Biddeford, ME : home $349,300, crime 2,663/100k
Sanford, ME : home $257,200, crime 2,784/100k
How does Portland compare to other US cities?
Here's how Portland stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income57% higher than other cities
Home value82% pricier than other cities
Median rent69% pricier than other cities
Safety19% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Maine alone, Portland ranks #66 of 73 Maine cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Portland against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Maine only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Maine-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Portland near the bottom of Maine's cities
Among the 154 Maine cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Portland ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Portland only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#35 of 145
76th percentile in Maine
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 154
0th percentile in Maine
Median Home Value
#18 of 151
88th percentile in Maine
Poverty Rate
#96 of 154
37th percentile in Maine
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#12 of 154
92nd percentile in Maine
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Maine only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
57th percentile nationally for median household income · 19th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Portland's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Portland's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Portland's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$452,60018th percentilemore affordable than 18% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Portland's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,054 of 15,516
More affordable than 9% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#570 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 5.9×, Portland sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,054 of 15,516 and #570 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$76,174Portland, ME median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Portland, ME median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Portland, ME.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)59.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)67.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
68,505
Median Income
$76,174
Median Home Value
$452,600
Median Age
37.5
Poverty Rate
5.3%
Labor force participation
67.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
59.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2745.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
266.9
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2478.7
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
47.5°F
Annual Precipitation
48.1"
Annual Snowfall
68.7"
Schools
Total Schools
15
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Portland's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
68,487 residents
2021
68,413 residents
2022
68,500 residents
2023
69,461 residents
2024
69,752 residents
2025
69,911 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
127
housing units authorized
Single-Family
26
detached homes
Multifamily
101
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
385
27
358
$75.7M
2020
102
46
56
$24.5M
2021
283
29
254
$49.3M
2022
721
19
702
$127.6M
2023
150
37
113
$42.6M
2024
127
26
101
$40.8M
Permit volume decreased 67% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
15.6 minutes
Drive Alone
56.1%
Carpool
5.9%
Public Transit
2.7%
Walk
11.5%
Work from Home
21.5%
Other
2.3%
Based on 39,146 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Maine statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $273
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Maine at $273 (electricity about $130 , water and sewer about $48 ).
These are Maine statewide averages, not a meter reading for Portland. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Maine's BEA cost-of-living index is 97.1 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Portland is $1,448/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Maine statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 56.7 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Maine statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Portland sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Portland compares to similar-size Maine cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.