Portland/Compare
Boise vs Irvington
Boise and Irvington are two official neighborhood associations in Portland. Boise is the calmer Part I map (58 vs 37). Boise wins the errand count. Boise has the lower ACS median ($1,708).
Data period. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · PPB May 2025 – Apr 2026 · OSM Sep 2026. ACS and PPB retrieved 2026-09-23; OSM retrieved 2026-09-23. Editorial copy last revised Sep 2026.
Scores
Fit axes among official Portland neighborhood associations.
| Axis | Boise | Irvington |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 58 | 37 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 17 | 0 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 95 |
| Vibe | 30 | 6 |
| Median rent | $1,708 | $2,621 |
| Median home | $587,600 | $947,300 |
| Population | 4,501 | 3,175 |
| Commute to Downtown | 16 min | 14 min |
| Commute to OHSU | 20 min | 18 min |
| Commute to Lloyd | 12 min | 10 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Boise | Irvington |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 75% | 23% |
| Median age | 34.1 | 40.5 |
| Median income | $80K | $196K |
| Part I per 1k | 51.1 | 72.7 |
| Groceries / 800m | 7 | 4 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 31 | 23 |
| Parks / 800m | 8 | 8 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Portland city. Up 75% since 2014. Boise is 3% above the 2024 city median. Irvington is 58% above the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Boise if the rent gap is the point and you want the cafes and the night. ACS median rent is $1,708 vs $2,621. Vibe is 30 vs 6. Safety is 58 vs 37. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Irvington if you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Irvington is tagged family on this map; Boise is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Boise
Mississippi Avenue is the search. The official association is Boise. The street is the night; the blocks off it are houses. Alberta is King, one association east — not this polygon.
$1,708 median rent · safety 58 · walk 17
Irvington
The boulevard and the big houses. Highest ACS home value in this set, and the only median rent here over $2,500. School ratings are not in this Portland snapshot — the houses are the tell, not a campus assignment.
$2,621 median rent · safety 37 · walk 0
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Boise or Irvington?
Boise is the lower ACS median: $1,708 vs $2,621. About 75% rent in Boise vs 23% in Irvington. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Boise more walkable than Irvington?
Boise wins the errand count (walk 17 vs 0). Groceries inside 800 meters: 7 vs 4. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Boise or Irvington?
Boise is the calmer Part I read (58 vs 37). Combined rate 51.1 vs 72.7 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Boise or Irvington?
Boise leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 34.1 vs 40.5. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
16 minutes from Boise to Downtown, 14 from Irvington. Irvington is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood association that is not Boise or Irvington: Eliot. A small association between the river and MLK, south of Boise. Broadway is the edge. The property rate is the highest in this Portland set because that edge is busy — it is not a score for every side street.
Scores are relative among official Portland neighborhood associations with the same editorial weights. Read the method.