Portland/Compare
Boise vs Kenton
Boise and Kenton are two official neighborhood associations in Portland. Kenton is the calmer Part I map (63 vs 58). Walk is a wash (17 vs 17). Kenton has the lower ACS median ($1,623).
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 | Kenton |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 58 | 63 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 17 | 17 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 30 | 6 |
| Median rent | $1,708 | $1,623 |
| Median home | $587,600 | $567,028 |
| Population | 4,501 | 7,003 |
| Commute to Downtown | 16 min | 20 min |
| Commute to OHSU | 20 min | 24 min |
| Commute to Lloyd | 12 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Boise | Kenton |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 75% | 33% |
| Median age | 34.1 | 38.5 |
| Median income | $80K | $104K |
| Part I per 1k | 51.1 | 41.7 |
| Groceries / 800m | 7 | 4 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 31 | 68 |
| Parks / 800m | 8 | 11 |
| 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. Kenton is 2% below 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 you want the cafes and the night. Vibe is 30 vs 6. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Kenton if the rent gap is the point. ACS median rent is $1,623 vs $1,708. 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
Kenton
The Paul Bunyan statue and Denver Avenue. North Portland, east of the river, with a MAX line and more house than bar. St. Johns is across the bridge — a different official polygon.
$1,623 median rent · safety 63 · walk 17
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Boise or Kenton?
Kenton is the lower ACS median: $1,708 vs $1,623. About 33% rent in Kenton vs 75% in Boise. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Boise more walkable than Kenton?
Walk is basically a tie (17 vs 17). Count groceries if you care: 7 in Boise vs 4 in Kenton, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Boise or Kenton?
Kenton is the calmer Part I read (63 vs 58). Combined rate 41.7 vs 51.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Boise or Kenton?
Boise leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 34.1 vs 38.5. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
16 minutes from Boise to Downtown, 20 from Kenton. Boise is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood association that is not Boise or Kenton: 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.