The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area with its core in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington.[2][3] It has 5 principal cities, the largest being Portland, Oregon.[4] The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area used by the United States Census Bureau (USCB) 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.[5] The area had a population of 2,512,859 at the 2020 census, an increase of over 12% since 2010.[6]

Portland Metropolitan Area
Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Portland skyline from the Ross Island Bridge
Portland skyline from the Ross Island Bridge
Map
Portland–Vancouver–Salem, OR–WA CSA
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
Washington
Largest cityPortland
Other cities - Vancouver
 - Gresham
 - Hillsboro
 - Beaverton
 - Tigard
 - Oregon City
 - Milwaukie
Area
 • Total
6,684 sq mi (17,310 km2)
Highest elevation
11,249 ft (3,429 m)
Lowest elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
2,512,859
 • Estimate 
(2022)
2,509,489
 • Rank25th in the U.S.
 • Density367/sq mi (129/km2)
GDP
 • Portland (MSA)$204.3 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−8 (PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−7 (PDT)
Area code(s)503, 971, 360 & 564

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 (the Seattle Urban Area includes Tacoma and Everett[7]).[8] Portions of the Portland metro area (Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties) are under the jurisdiction of Metro,[9] a directly elected regional government which, among other things, is responsible for land-use planning in the region.

Metropolitan statistical area

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
186016,751
187030,76383.6%
188057,83188.0%
1890130,455125.6%
1900172,05631.9%
1910330,58192.1%
1920409,02323.7%
1930500,01122.2%
1940553,21510.6%
1950766,00838.5%
1960881,96115.1%
19701,083,97722.9%
19801,341,49123.8%
19901,523,74113.6%
20001,927,88126.5%
20102,226,00915.5%
20202,512,85912.9%
2022 (est.)2,509,489−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
2020 Census

2020 census

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

2010 census

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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:[11][12]

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.[13]

The Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the 23rd largest in the United States,[14] has a population of 2,226,009 (2010 Census). Of them, 1,789,580 live in Oregon (46.7% of the state's population) while the remaining 436,429 live in Washington (6.7% of state's population). 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.

County 2022 Estimate[15] 2020 Census Change Area Density
Clackamas County, Oregon 423,177 421,401 +0.42% 1,870.32 sq mi (4,844.1 km2) 224/sq mi (86/km2)
Columbia County, Oregon 53,588 52,589 +1.90% 657.36 sq mi (1,702.6 km2) 80/sq mi (31/km2)
Multnomah County, Oregon 795,083 815,428 −2.50% 431.30 sq mi (1,117.1 km2) 1,885/sq mi (728/km2)
Washington County, Oregon 600,176 600,372 −0.03% 724.23 sq mi (1,875.7 km2) 831/sq mi (321/km2)
Yamhill County, Oregon 108,226 107,722 +0.47% 715.86 sq mi (1,854.1 km2) 150/sq mi (58/km2)
Clark County, Washington 516,779 503,311 +2.68% 629.00 sq mi (1,629.1 km2) 956/sq mi (369/km2)
Skamania County, Washington 12,460 12,036 +3.52% 1,655.68 sq mi (4,288.2 km2) 7/sq mi (3/km2)
Total 2,509,489 2,512,859 −0.13% 6,683.75 sq mi (17,310.8 km2) 367/sq mi (142/km2)

Portland-Vancouver-Salem Combined Statistical Area

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As of July 2022, the Portland–Vancouver–Salem, OR–WA Combined Statistical Area (CSA) 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 (3,280,736 based on the 2020 Census).

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

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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 Corbett, Cornelius, Fairview, Forest Grove, Gladstone, Happy Valley, King City, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Sherwood, Tigard, Troutdale, Tualatin, West Linn, Wilsonville, Wood Village in Oregon, as well as Battle Ground, Camas, Washougal, Ridgefield, La Center and Yacolt in Washington.

 
View from Oregon City with West Linn and with downtown Portland in the background.

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
Other

Transportation

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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.[16]

 
MAX light rail in Downtown Portland

Major airports

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Passenger rail

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Amtrak trains serve Portland Union Station. 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

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State highways, 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.[17]

Sports

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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 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.[18]

Politics

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Presidential election results[19]
Year DEM GOP Others
2020 63.6% 900,757 33.1% 469,466 3.2% 45,300
2016 57.8% 672,364 31.9% 371,379 10.3% 119,802
2012 60.0% 632,945 36.6% 386,323 3.3% 34,862
2008 62.6% 657,076 34.9% 366,490 2.5% 26,202
2004 57.0% 587,901 41.7% 430,401 1.3% 13,357
2000 53.0% 443,629 41.3% 345,293 5.7% 47,440
1996 51.4% 380,537 35.6% 264,044 13.0% 96,411
1992 45.7% 357,117 30.5% 238,124 23.9% 186,437
1988 54.7% 343,172 43.4% 272,346 1.8% 11,547
1984 46.5% 290,504 52.9% 330,464 0.5% 3,228
1980 41.5% 246,639 44.8% 266,198 13.7% 81,212
1976 47.8% 255,813 48.0% 256,598 4.2% 22,531
1972 45.6% 226,237 50.1% 249,015 4.2% 21,040
1968 48.1% 211,351 46.7% 205,269 5.2% 22,887
1964 65.2% 273,608 34.5% 144,745 0.4% 1,545
1960 48.0% 198,802 51.9% 214,980 0.1% 511

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.

References

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  1. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org.
  2. ^ "2020 Census Urban Areas of the United States and Puerto Rico" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "Federal Register/Vol. 75, No. 123/Monday, June 28, 2010/Notices" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  4. ^ "PRINCIPAL CITIES OF METROPOLITAN AND MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS, MARCH 2020". US census bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  5. ^ "Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget. November 20, 2007. p. 45. Retrieved September 5, 2008 – via National Archives.
  6. ^ "2020 Census Metropolitan Statistical Area Profiles" (PDF). Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  7. ^ "2010 Census Urban Area Reference Maps". USCB, Geography Division. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  8. ^ "A national, state-sorted list of all 2010 urbanized areas and urban clusters for the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Island Areas first sorted by state FIPS code, then sorted by UACE code". USCB, Geography Division. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  9. ^ "Jurisdictional Boundaries". Metro. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  10. ^ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  11. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010". factfinder2.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019.
  12. ^ "Hispanic or Latino by Type: 2010". factfinder2.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  13. ^ US Census Bureau. Factfinder2.census.gov. Retrieved on October 5, 2013.
  14. ^ "OMB Bulletin No. 10-02: Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget. December 1, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2010 – via National Archives.
  15. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2022". Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  16. ^ "Schedules & Routes". Columbia County Rider. Archived from the original on August 16, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  17. ^ Young, Bob (March 9, 2005). "Highway to Hell". Willamette Week. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  18. ^ USA Rugby, High school state championships gain rugby exposure Archived June 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, June 4, 2013
  19. ^ "Our Campaigns". Retrieved July 6, 2020.
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45°30′N 122°39′W / 45.5°N 122.65°W / 45.5; -122.65