Portland/Compare
King vs Pearl
King and Pearl are two official neighborhood associations in Portland. King is the calmer Part I map (79 vs 21). Pearl wins the errand count. Pearl has the lower ACS median ($1,908).
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 | King | Pearl |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 79 | 21 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 21 | 33 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 17 | 36 |
| Median rent | $2,019 | $1,908 |
| Median home | $671,689 | $616,146 |
| Population | 6,981 | 10,885 |
| Commute to Downtown | 16 min | 8 min |
| Commute to OHSU | 20 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Lloyd | 12 min | 12 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | King | Pearl |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 44% | 73% |
| Median age | 33.4 | 38.4 |
| Median income | $114K | $106K |
| Part I per 1k | 31.2 | 124.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 13 | 6 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 47 | 66 |
| Parks / 800m | 11 | 9 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Portland city. Up 75% since 2014. King is 22% above the 2024 city median. Pearl is 15% 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 King if the quieter map matters more than the scene. Safety is 79 vs 21. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Pearl if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 36 vs 17. Walk is 33 vs 21. 8 vs 16 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
King
Alberta Arts is the search. The official association is King. The street is cafes; the numbered streets are houses. Concordia shares the Alberta alias farther east. Boise is Mississippi, not this row.
$2,019 median rent · safety 79 · walk 21
Pearl
Search Pearl or Pearl District. Warehouses turned condo stacks, with a grocery that arrived with the towers. The property rate is written by the shops as much as the residents. Northwest is the older grid next door.
$1,908 median rent · safety 21 · walk 33
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, King or Pearl?
Pearl is the lower ACS median: $2,019 vs $1,908. About 73% rent in Pearl vs 44% in King. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is King more walkable than Pearl?
Pearl wins the errand count (walk 21 vs 33). Groceries inside 800 meters: 13 vs 6. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, King or Pearl?
King is the calmer Part I read (79 vs 21). Combined rate 31.2 vs 124.8 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, King or Pearl?
King leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 33.4 vs 38.4. Pearl has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
16 minutes from King to Downtown, 8 from Pearl. Pearl is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood association that is not King or Pearl: 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.
Scores are relative among official Portland neighborhood associations with the same editorial weights. Read the method.