Portland, ME vs Salem, OR

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Portland

72.9

#814 nationally

Salem

67.1

#1465 nationally

Portland leads in walk score (65 vs 42). Portland leads in average commute (21.2 min vs 22.7 min). Portland leads in median household income ($71,853 vs $67,540).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Portland, ME	Salem, OR
WhereAtHome Score	72.9 (#814)	67.1 (#1465)
Population	68,408	177,432
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$566,902	$440,726
Median Household Income	$71,853	$67,540
Average Commute	21.2 min	22.7 min
Walk Score	65	42
Crime Level	Low	14.6
School Rating	7.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	118	115
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+36.3	R+2.0