NabeWise

HomePortlandNorthwest

51fit

Northwest

Official neighborhood association: Northwest District

Published fit 51 uses default walkable weights and a $2,500 ACS rent budget — the same number as the Portland table. Your current weights score this 51.

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.

Nob Hill, NW 23rd, and the Alphabet District are searches inside the Northwest District. The grid is older than the Pearl, and the shops are why the property count is not quiet. Goose Hollow is the stadium side.

nwnob hillnw 23rdalphabet districtnorthwest district

Best in Portland for familiesWalkable PortlandUnder $2,500 rent

Why this published score

Default walkable weights, $2,500 ACS rent budget. Same axes as the city table and the FAQ.

Safety
11

89 violent · 2388 property · 148.4 per 1k (May 2025 – Apr 2026)-39 vs city set

Schools
50

Limited school data0 vs city set

Walk
44

OSM: 9 groceries · 33 cafes · 76 transit · 16 parks+19 vs city set

Cost
100

$1,609 ACS median vs published $2,500 rent budget0 vs city set

Vibe
47

OSM: 33 cafes · 84 restaurants · 38 bars · 16 parks+25 vs city set

Commute to work

From Northwest, a typical weekday is 12 min to Downtown, 18 min to OHSU, 16 min to Lloyd. Not live traffic.

Downtown is the fastest of these three job centers from here.

Downtown
12 min

Pioneer Courthouse Square · -4 min vs the city-set median · fastest of these three

OHSU
18 min

Marquam Hill, South Waterfront · +1 min vs the city-set median

Lloyd
16 min

Rose Quarter, convention offices · +3 min vs the city-set median

Minutes are baked from neighborhood geography to three job centers — not Google, not this hour’s traffic.

Cost of living

The ACS median rent is $1,609 — every occupied rental mixed together, not the 1-bed in the window.

That is 25% of median household income — under the 30% HUD line. A household at this area’s median income ($78K) could “afford” about $1,945 a month at 30% of pay.

82% of households rent. Median home value is $856,434.

ACS median rent
$1,609
30% income budget
$1,945
Rent / income
25%
Median home
$856,434

Rent since 2014

ACS 5-year median gross rent for Portland city. Up 75% since 2014. Northwest is 3% below the 2024 city median.

$950$1.9kNorthwest $1,609201420162018202020222024

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. The dashed mark is this area’s ACS 2024 median.

HUD treats 30% of income as the cost-burden line. We do not split ACS rent into 1-bed vs 2-bed. Method.

Within a walk

Within a short walk of this official neighborhood association: 9 groceries, 33 cafes, 16 parks, and 76 transit stops.

Daily errands and coffee are realistic on foot. Parks are close — 16 mapped parks in that radius. Transit is dense (76 stops or stations).

33 cafes and 84 restaurants make this one of the busier food pockets in the Portland set.

OpenStreetMap, 800 meters. Not a Walk Score license. More groceries than 15 of the other 19 areas in this city.

Population
16,685
Median age
34.2
Median income
$78K
Renters
82%
Bachelor+
69%
Violent / 1k
5.3
Property / 1k
143.1

ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · 6 census tracts · PPB May 2025 – Apr 2026 · OSM 2026-09-23

Nightlife

Crime is PPB Part I reports per 1,000 ACS residents — not a judgment of who lives here. Home and rent figures are ACS medians, not live MLS. Read the method.

On the ground

What it is like to live here, beyond the scores.

Nob Hill, NW 23rd, and the Alphabet District are searches inside the Northwest District. The grid is older than the Pearl, and the shops are why the property count is not quiet. Goose Hollow is the stadium side.

Scores on this page stay inside Portland. Northwest District is the official association; other names are searches, not extra polygons. School ratings are thin in this snapshot. A neighbor on the schematic map is not a shared fence.

Compiled from Zillow neighborhood guides, 5280 Magazine, Chicago and San Francisco resident guides, Mpls With Love, Eastside LA reporting, Seattle Times coverage, Boston planning-neighborhood writing, Philadelphia neighborhood writing, Portland neighborhood writing, and local writing, 2025–2026. Editorial — not part of the fit score.

On Reddit

Public posts from r/Portland that mention this neighborhood. Not Nextdoor, not people on this block, and not part of the fit score.

No r/Portland posts in this snapshot mentioned Northwest.

Last 90 days, snapshot 2026-09-01. Method.

Common questions

Straight answers from the numbers on this page.

Is Northwest safe?

Northwest shows more Part I than most of this Portland set (safety 11 vs city 50). PPB logged 5.3 violent and 143.1 property incidents per 1,000 residents — 148.4 combined. Visitors count in those numbers. This is not a judgment of who lives here.

What is rent in Northwest?

ACS median rent is $1,609 — studios through large apartments mixed together. About 82% of households rent. Median home value is $856,434. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.

Is Northwest walkable?

Walk is 44 here vs 25 for the Portland set — you will likely drive or ride for a weekly shop. Inside 800 meters: 9 groceries, 33 cafes, 76 transit stops, 16 parks. Not a Walk Score license.

Is Northwest good for families?

There is more night and visitor traffic in the mix — not the quietest family default. Nearby school rating is thin in this dataset. Median age is 34.2. That rating is not your assigned campus.

How long is the commute from Northwest?

12 typical weekday minutes to Downtown. Not the app on your phone this hour. Other job centers are further down this page.

How many people live in Northwest?

About 16,685 people. Median income $78K. 69% have a bachelor's or higher.

What neighborhoods are next to Northwest?

Pearl, Goose Hollow, St. Johns sit closest on this map. If you are choosing between two official neighborhood associations, start with Northwest vs Pearl.

Next door

Closest on this schematic map, scored with the same published walkable weights as the Portland table. Distances here are not street geography.

Northwest vs PearlNorthwest vs Goose HollowNorthwest vs St. Johns

82fit

Downtown

$1K ACS median rent

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.

Walk index
100
Safety index
16
Published fit
82
NightlifePlanned

Explore neighborhood

56fit

St. Johns

$2K ACS median rent

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.

Walk index
37
Safety index
89
Published fit
56
Family streets

Explore neighborhood

49fit

Hillsdale

$2K ACS median rent

Southwest hills and a town center, with a shorter OHSU trip than most of this set outside Goose Hollow. Houses, not a strip. Do not confuse it with the Northwest District.

Walk index
24
Safety index
84
Published fit
49
Family streets

Explore neighborhood

47fit

Pearl

$2K ACS median rent

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.

Walk index
33
Safety index
21
Published fit
47
NightlifePlanned

Explore neighborhood

47fit

Goose Hollow

$2K ACS median rent

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.

Walk index
34
Safety index
32
Published fit
47

Explore neighborhood

DowntownPearlNWGoose H.BoiseEliotKingConcordiaIrvingtonHollywoodLaurelhurstRichmondSunnysideHosfordSellwoodMultnomahHillsdaleSt. JohnsKentonOverlookWillamette