Portland/Compare
Downtown vs St. Johns
Downtown and St. Johns are two official neighborhood associations in Portland. St. Johns is the calmer Part I map (89 vs 16). Downtown wins the errand count. Downtown has the lower ACS median ($1,403).
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 | Downtown | St. Johns |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 16 | 89 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 100 | 37 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 100 | 17 |
| Median rent | $1,403 | $1,698 |
| Median home | $489,163 | $475,763 |
| Population | 13,471 | 16,742 |
| Commute to Downtown | 6 min | 25 min |
| Commute to OHSU | 12 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Lloyd | 10 min | 26 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Downtown | St. Johns |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 85% | 38% |
| Median age | 35.9 | 37.1 |
| Median income | $59K | $82K |
| Part I per 1k | 146.9 | 28.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 25 | 9 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 140 | 96 |
| Parks / 800m | 27 | 26 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Portland city. Up 75% since 2014. Downtown is 15% below the 2024 city median. St. Johns is 3% 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 Downtown if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 100 vs 17. Walk is 100 vs 37. 6 vs 25 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick St. Johns if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Safety is 89 vs 16. St. Johns is tagged family on this map; Downtown is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Downtown
The official name is Portland Downtown. Pioneer Courthouse Square and the bus mall are the center; the Part I count includes visitors and the night. Walk is the point. A yard is not. Old Town is a different association and not this row.
$1,403 median rent · safety 16 · walk 100
St. Johns
The bridge, the plaza, and a peninsula that feels like its own town. St. Johns is the official association. Cathedral Park is a different association and not this row. Downtown is a trip, not a walk.
$1,698 median rent · safety 89 · walk 37
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Downtown or St. Johns?
Downtown is the lower ACS median: $1,403 vs $1,698. About 85% rent in Downtown vs 38% in St. Johns. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Downtown more walkable than St. Johns?
Downtown wins the errand count (walk 100 vs 37). Groceries inside 800 meters: 25 vs 9. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Downtown or St. Johns?
St. Johns is the calmer Part I read (89 vs 16). Combined rate 28.5 vs 146.9 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Downtown or St. Johns?
Downtown leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 35.9 vs 37.1. St. Johns has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
6 minutes from Downtown to Downtown, 25 from St. Johns. Downtown is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood association that is not Downtown or St. Johns: Goose Hollow. Between Providence Park and the West Hills. A MAX line, smaller apartments, and the short OHSU commute in this set. It is not Nob Hill, and it is not the Pearl.
Scores are relative among official Portland neighborhood associations with the same editorial weights. Read the method.