Portland/Compare
Irvington vs Sellwood
Irvington and Sellwood are two official neighborhood associations in Portland. Sellwood is the calmer Part I map (47 vs 37). Sellwood wins the errand count. Sellwood has the lower ACS median ($1,561).
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 | Irvington | Sellwood |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 37 | 47 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 0 | 18 |
| Cost fit | 95 | 100 |
| Vibe | 6 | 23 |
| Median rent | $2,621 | $1,561 |
| Median home | $947,300 | $658,627 |
| Population | 3,175 | 10,569 |
| Commute to Downtown | 14 min | 20 min |
| Commute to OHSU | 18 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Lloyd | 10 min | 22 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Irvington | Sellwood |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 23% | 55% |
| Median age | 40.5 | 37.8 |
| Median income | $196K | $86K |
| Part I per 1k | 72.7 | 63.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 4 | 8 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 23 | 38 |
| Parks / 800m | 8 | 22 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Portland city. Up 75% since 2014. Irvington is 58% above the 2024 city median. Sellwood is 6% 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 Irvington if the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. 14 vs 20 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Sellwood if the rent gap is the point and you want the errands on foot. ACS median rent is $1,561 vs $2,621. Walk is 18 vs 0. Vibe is 23 vs 6. Read both pages before you decide.
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
Sellwood
Sellwood and Westmoreland, one association: the bridge, the antique row, more house than Hawthorne. Search Moreland or Westmoreland and you land here. It is not a west-side neighborhood.
$1,561 median rent · safety 47 · walk 18
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Irvington or Sellwood?
Sellwood is the lower ACS median: $2,621 vs $1,561. About 55% rent in Sellwood vs 23% in Irvington. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Irvington more walkable than Sellwood?
Sellwood wins the errand count (walk 0 vs 18). Groceries inside 800 meters: 4 vs 8. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Irvington or Sellwood?
Sellwood is the calmer Part I read (47 vs 37). Combined rate 63.9 vs 72.7 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Irvington or Sellwood?
Irvington leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 40.5 vs 37.8. Sellwood has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
14 minutes from Irvington to Downtown, 20 from Sellwood. Irvington is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood association that is not Irvington or Sellwood: Hollywood. The theater and Sandy Boulevard. More errand than scene. The ACS rent is one of the lower reads here — a survey median, not this week’s listing. Irvington is west. Laurelhurst is south.
Scores are relative among official Portland neighborhood associations with the same editorial weights. Read the method.