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The Portland Metro region covers 9 cities across three Oregon counties — from urban Portland to the tech corridor of Hillsboro and Beaverton, the premium suburbs of Lake Oswego and West Linn, and the Tualatin Valley’s southern edge. This page aggregates publicly available regional facts, verified data on transit, schools, and employers, and routes you to the specific city guide that fits your search.
2024 Census Bureau estimate (Vintage 2024) · Lincoln County + Pacific City
We’re rebuilding our home search. In the meantime, tell us what you’re after and we’ll send you active listings across the North Coast region that match — usually within one business day.
Searching in: Portland Metro, OR
Facts about the Portland Metro region compiled from official and public sources. Each data point shows its vintage (when the source published it) so you know what you’re looking at.
Multnomah 795,897 · Washington 611,272 · Clackamas 425,857
Seats: Portland · Hillsboro · Oregon City
Oregon Blue Book ·
See full list in the Cities section below
Current
Clackamas largest at 1,870.7 · Washington 724.3 · Multnomah 431
Current ·
Portland MSA; tri-county grew similarly
2020 Decennial Census ·
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA (includes Clark & Skamania WA, Yamhill & Columbia OR)
2024 ACS 1-year ·
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro; overtaken by Austin in 2024
2024 Census estimate ·
Plus Columbia Sportswear, Adidas NA, Providence, OHSU
Current HQ listings ·
Passengers (2024) · 75+ nonstop destinations (66 domestic, 11 international) · Alaska Airlines hub
2024 total ·
TriMet: 79 bus routes · WES commuter rail · 3 streetcar lines
Köppen Csb · ~36″ annual precip · dry summers Jun–Sep
NOAA normals ·
Niche 2026 Portland-area top 4: Lake Oswego (#1) · Riverdale (#2) · Tigard-Tualatin (#3) · West Linn-Wilsonville (#4)
Niche 2026 rankings ·
OHSU Hospital (576-bed) · Legacy Emanuel (554-bed, burn center)
Current designation ·
Providence St. Vincent 523-bed · Kaiser Sunnyside (Clackamas) & Westside (Hillsboro)
Current ·
Only directly-elected regional planning govt in the US
Current ·
Portland State ~19,951 students · plus Lewis & Clark, OHSU, Pacific (Forest Grove)
2024–25 enrollment ·
Portland Metro is Oregon’s largest real estate market by volume and the 26th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. The tri-county region spans dramatically different submarkets: the urban core of Portland (with distinct East Side and West Side character), the Silicon Forest tech corridor running through Hillsboro and Beaverton, premium established suburbs in Lake Oswego and West Linn, and the growing Tualatin Valley exurban edge around Sherwood, Tualatin, and Wilsonville.
A single regional median obscures this variation. For context: Multnomah County’s population declined approximately 2.4% from its 2020 Census peak (815,428) to 795,897 by mid-2024, while Washington and Clackamas counties continued to grow — a pattern that tracks buyer flight from the urban core to the suburbs during the post-pandemic period. Multnomah added a modest 1,626 residents between 2023 and 2024 (+0.2%), the first annual increase since the pandemic. The tri-county area sits under the jurisdiction of Metro, the only directly-elected regional government in the United States, which sets the region’s urban growth boundary and shapes long-run housing supply.
Because the region spans cities with very different price points, market statistics are most useful at the city level. Pick a city below to see its specific market data, or tell us what you’re after and we’ll match you to listings across the whole metro.
Median sale price (tri-county)
Median days on market
Median price / sq ft
Active listings (region)
Cities in our network
Note: Regional market statistics activate with our MLS integration and aggregate across the 9 Portland Metro cities in our network. For city-specific medians, click through to a city guide below.
Each card links to a full city guide with verified facts on schools, market data, and nearby areas. Populations are 2020 Decennial Census unless noted.
Regions that border Portland Metro. Regional guides marked “Coming soon” will populate as we build them out.
Quick answers about the Portland Metro region, each backed by an authoritative source. For questions specific to a particular property or city, call (800) 256-9702 to reach a licensed Oregon broker.
Our Portland Metro coverage includes 9 cities across three Oregon counties: Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Sherwood, Tigard, Tualatin, West Linn, and Wilsonville. This corresponds to the tri-county jurisdiction of Metro, the region’s elected regional government (Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas). The broader Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro MSA defined by the Census Bureau also includes Yamhill and Columbia counties in Oregon plus Clark and Skamania counties in Washington, but those fall outside our Oregon-only real estate coverage.
The Willamette River divides Portland roughly in half. The West Side includes downtown, the Pearl District, Northwest Portland, and the Southwest hills; it connects directly to Washington County suburbs (Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard) and houses OHSU on Marquam Hill. The East Side is the larger area geographically, with established inner neighborhoods (Hawthorne, Division, Alberta, Mississippi) grading into outer Southeast and Northeast. East Side neighborhoods tend toward more single-family housing and were historically more affordable, though that gap has compressed over the past decade. Both sides are well-served by TriMet transit.
Niche’s 2026 rankings for “Best School Districts in the Portland Area” place the top four as: Lake Oswego (#1), Riverdale (#2), Tigard-Tualatin (#3), and West Linn-Wilsonville (#4). Sherwood, Beaverton (Oregon’s 3rd-largest district), and parts of Portland Public Schools also rank well. Rankings shift year-over-year, so the linked source is the best place to check current rankings before making a school-driven home-buying decision. Our individual city guides include school-district detail specific to each city.
Commute times vary significantly by mode and time of day. Rough driving estimates in typical conditions: Beaverton ~15–25 min, Tigard ~20–30 min, Lake Oswego ~20–30 min, Hillsboro ~25–35 min, Wilsonville ~30–45 min, Sherwood/Tualatin/West Linn ~25–40 min. Rush-hour adds 50–100%. TriMet’s MAX light rail (5 lines) and WES commuter rail serve Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Tualatin, and Wilsonville. Use ODOT TripCheck for current traffic conditions.
Settlement patterns generally follow commute convenience. Nike employees (HQ in Beaverton) commonly live in Beaverton, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Tigard, or the Northwest Portland/Cedar Hills area. Intel employees (largest operations in Hillsboro, with sites in Aloha) cluster in Hillsboro, Beaverton, Forest Grove (outside our network), and across Washington County. OHSU and downtown-based employers draw from across the region given transit access. The US Census Bureau’s OnTheMap tool publishes worker commuting flows if you want to examine patterns for a specific employer address.
The post-2020 period has seen divergent trends. Between the 2020 Census and mid-2024, Multnomah County (which contains most of Portland) lost approximately 2.4% of its population — though it added a modest 1,626 residents in 2024, its first annual increase since the pandemic. Washington and Clackamas counties continued to grow throughout the period. This has shown up as softer demand in the urban core relative to the suburbs. Median home values and rent-to-own ratios also vary sharply — premium suburbs like Lake Oswego and West Linn consistently post higher median prices than most of Portland proper, while parts of East Portland remain relatively accessible. City-specific market data populates on each city’s guide once our MLS integration activates.
It depends on the city. TriMet operates 5 MAX light-rail lines, 79 bus routes, WES commuter rail (weekday peak-hours only, serving Beaverton / Tigard / Tualatin / Wilsonville), and the Portland Streetcar (owned by the City of Portland, operated by TriMet). Central Portland neighborhoods and parts of Beaverton and Hillsboro along MAX lines are genuinely transit-viable. Lake Oswego, Sherwood, West Linn, and most of Clackamas County are car-oriented, though some have commuter bus service to downtown. Evaluate transit access for your specific address rather than at the city level.
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Our travel-side guide on VisitOregon.com covers the full visitor experience across Portland and the metro — useful whether you’re researching a move or planning a pre-buy weekend.
