Portland/Compare
Overlook vs St. Johns
Overlook and St. Johns are two official neighborhood associations in Portland. St. Johns is the calmer Part I map (89 vs 74). St. Johns wins the errand count. St. Johns has the lower ACS median ($1,698).
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 | Overlook | St. Johns |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 74 | 89 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 18 | 37 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 10 | 17 |
| Median rent | $1,823 | $1,698 |
| Median home | $628,911 | $475,763 |
| Population | 11,325 | 16,742 |
| Commute to Downtown | 14 min | 25 min |
| Commute to OHSU | 18 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Lloyd | 12 min | 26 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Overlook | St. Johns |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 46% | 38% |
| Median age | 36.8 | 37.1 |
| Median income | $104K | $82K |
| Part I per 1k | 32.1 | 28.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 3 | 9 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 67 | 96 |
| Parks / 800m | 16 | 26 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Portland city. Up 75% since 2014. Overlook is 10% above 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 Overlook if the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. 14 vs 25 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick St. Johns if you want the errands on foot and the quieter map matters more than the scene. Walk is 37 vs 18. Safety is 89 vs 74. St. Johns is tagged family on this map; Overlook is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Overlook
The bluff over Interstate Avenue. The upper streets are houses; the avenue is the strip. Kenton is north. Boise is east — Mississippi, not this row.
$1,823 median rent · safety 74 · walk 18
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, Overlook or St. Johns?
St. Johns is the lower ACS median: $1,823 vs $1,698. About 38% rent in St. Johns vs 46% in Overlook. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Overlook more walkable than St. Johns?
St. Johns wins the errand count (walk 18 vs 37). Groceries inside 800 meters: 3 vs 9. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Overlook or St. Johns?
St. Johns is the calmer Part I read (89 vs 74). Combined rate 28.5 vs 32.1 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Overlook or St. Johns?
Overlook leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 36.8 vs 37.1. St. Johns has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
14 minutes from Overlook to Downtown, 25 from St. Johns. Overlook is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood association that is not Overlook or St. Johns: 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.