A
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Public Schools
    A-
  2. Crime & Safety
    C+
  3. Housing
    C
  4. Nightlife
    A-
  5. Good for Families
    A-
  6. Diversity
    B+
  7. Jobs
    B-
  8. Weather
    C
  9. Cost of Living
    C
  10. Health & Fitness
    A
  11. Outdoor Activities
    A
  12. Commute
    A
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Population
66,490

Real Estate

Median Home Value
$239,400
National
$178,600
Median Rent
$946
National
$928
Area Feel
Suburban
Rent vs. Own
  • Rent
    57%
  • Own
    43%

Portland Rankings

Niche ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census and and expert insights.

Crime & Safety

Crime & Safety
C+
Based on violent and property crime rates.
Violent Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Assault
    121
    0
  • Murder
    3
    0
  • Rape
    49
    41
  • Robbery
    148
    0
Property Crimes
  • Calculated annually per 100,000 residents
National
  • Burglary
    398
    1
  • Theft
    2,525
    2,081
  • Motor Vehicle Theft
    103
    0

Residents

Diversity
B+
Based on ethnic and economic diversity.
Median Household Income
$46,280
National
$53,889
Children
14%
Education Levels
National
  • Master's degree or higher
    18%
    11%
  • Bachelor's degree
    28%
    19%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    26%
    29%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    21%
    28%
  • Less than high school diploma
    8%
    13%
  • Public Schools
  • Private Schools
  • Colleges
Places like Portland
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Portland Reviews

54 reviews
All Categories
Portland, ME is a fun quirky small city with a very diverse community. Local underground scene with speakeasies, bars, restaurants for every craft beer and wine enthusiast to elitist foodies. Cobblestone streets and red brick sidewalks pave this compact city full of arts and night life. Something for everyone!
Review Portland
Portland is a wonderful city to live in. It provides visitors and residents of Maine with a place that is energetic, full of life, and constantly changing . Portland brings in many different forms of art from theater and music to galleries and the Portland Art Walk. "The Big Potato" is home to a diverse community that shares a love for top nationally ranked food and the Eastern coast. Portland's one downfall is the cost of living. Rent in Portland is incredibly expensive as well as the price of taxes to own a home. However, Portland holds many community outings and events for the residents and tourists for free. During the summer, Portland shows movies on the weekends in the concourse. The first Friday of every month is the free First Friday Art Walk were residents and tourists can enjoy the local art in galleries, at the Portland Museum of Art, and along Congress Street were local artist's and vendors share and sell their work on the street.
My experience in Portland has been lovely, thus far. The community is rich in the arts, with First Friday art walks, a local art school (Maine College of Art), an art museum, and plenty of live music venues. The city is easy to navigate, and the locals are friendly and welcoming. Just last week, two complete strangers assisted me in digging my car out of the snow.
If there were something I could change about the city, it would be the cost of living. Being one and a half hours north of Boston, the city has seen an influx of former Massachusetts residents relocating. Portland has a lower cost of living than Boston, and those who don't mind the commute continue to work there while residing in southern Maine. The abundance of potential renters has piqued the interest of property management companies and landlords alike. In the interest of basic economics, the higher the demand, the higher the price.