Portland/Compare
Richmond vs Sellwood
Richmond and Sellwood are two official neighborhood associations in Portland. Richmond is the calmer Part I map (53 vs 47). Richmond 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 | Richmond | Sellwood |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 53 | 47 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 23 | 18 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 28 | 23 |
| Median rent | $1,751 | $1,561 |
| Median home | $702,581 | $658,627 |
| Population | 17,628 | 10,569 |
| Commute to Downtown | 16 min | 20 min |
| Commute to OHSU | 14 min | 16 min |
| Commute to Lloyd | 16 min | 22 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Richmond | Sellwood |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 45% | 55% |
| Median age | 39.4 | 37.8 |
| Median income | $114K | $86K |
| Part I per 1k | 53.0 | 63.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 7 | 8 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 53 | 38 |
| Parks / 800m | 13 | 22 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Portland city. Up 75% since 2014. Richmond is 6% 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 Richmond if you want the cafes and the night. Vibe is 28 vs 23. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Sellwood if you want the quieter, family-leaning read and the rent gap is the point. Sellwood is tagged family on this map; Richmond is not. ACS median rent is $1,561 vs $1,751. Read both pages before you decide.
Richmond
Hawthorne’s south side and the eastern run of Division both land in Richmond. Cafes, houses, and the lowest violent rate in this set. Sunnyside is the north side of Hawthorne, its own association.
$1,751 median rent · safety 53 · walk 23
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, Richmond or Sellwood?
Sellwood is the lower ACS median: $1,751 vs $1,561. About 55% rent in Sellwood vs 45% in Richmond. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Richmond more walkable than Sellwood?
Richmond wins the errand count (walk 23 vs 18). Groceries inside 800 meters: 7 vs 8. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Richmond or Sellwood?
Richmond is the calmer Part I read (53 vs 47). Combined rate 53.0 vs 63.9 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Richmond or Sellwood?
Richmond leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 39.4 vs 37.8. Sellwood has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
16 minutes from Richmond to Downtown, 20 from Sellwood. Richmond is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood association that is not Richmond or Sellwood: Sunnyside. Hawthorne’s north side. Belmont sits in the same small association. Search Hawthorne and Richmond also answers; this is the row people mean when they mean the street. A yard is rare.
Scores are relative among official Portland neighborhood associations with the same editorial weights. Read the method.