Facts and Praises
Demographics & Data

We invite you to access recent workforce news, labor trends and statistics, economic and demographic data and recent PDC publications in Excel and .pdf formats that address Portland’s advantages as an excellent location for doing business.

Portland Area QuickFacts

Portland Region Fact Book
A study by the state Employment Department shows that Oregon’s reputation for high quality of life may be the largest factor in the region's growing population and economic strength, and will likely continue to affect future business location decisions. Find out more about our quality of life and why we proudly call this place home. Download the Portland Region Fact Book, which includes detailed information on:

   - Location
   - Economy
   - Population & Income
   - Employment    - Transportation
   - Business Costs
   - Real Estate
   - Livability

Also, GIS Mapping—called PortlandMaps, this tool was developed to give public access to geographic information system (GIS) data integrated with other information from all city bureaus. Query, analyze and review data visually. PortlandMaps provides a simple to use, streamlined interface for property selection and navigation.
Map your property! You can quickly determine whether your business location meets geographic requirements for several PDC business incentive programs by entering an address into our GIS Mapping tool, and then clicking on the Development link in the top navigation of the query results window.

Additional PortlandMaps uses include:
- Locate property quickly and easily by address or intersection
- Access to over 50 GIS data sources
- Access assessment information for Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties
- Query an area or individual property for environmental, utility, political or other information
- Create and print detailed reports including maps

“The people running Portland, Oregon, must be doing something right.” according to a case study featured by ESRI, a major provider of worldwide GIS solutions. PDC’s partnership with the multiple city technology teams is evidenced in this effective leveraging of public resources.

Additional Data

Report: Economic Overview, Portland Briefing Paper—November 2005
Report: 2000 Census Data
Information from FedStats on the six counties that comprise the Portland metropolitan area (Portland-Vancouver PMSA):
- Multnomah county summary

Portland State University's (PSU) Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies
Tax information (Oregon fares quite well.)
Neighborhood Demographics, Portland Office of Neighborhood Involvement

Housing Costs

CNN-Money released Coldwell Banker's Home Price Comparison Index (Acrobat PDF file) which provides average selling prices of similar homes in similar neighborhoods in more than 300 U.S. markets. Compare how Portland and other housing markets stack up. Released October 2003.

Utilities

Water Rates, City of Portland, Water Bureau
Sewer Rates, City of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services
Electric Rates, City of Portland, Electric Utility Providers

Transportation

MAX Regional Light Rail System, TriMet (Regional Transit Agency); read
more about TriMet
Downtown Portland's Mall Revitalization Project, TriMet
Portland Streetcar and map, the first modern streetcar in the United States
Portland's Vintage Trolley, TriMet
A History of Transit in Portland, TriMet
Detailed Traffic Counts by Location, Portland Office of Transportation

Workforce News & Labor Market

Report: Portland Metro Labor Trends
A local Labor Trends newsletter is published each month for each of fourteen regions within the state, and each contain the most recent information on local area employment trends.
- November 2005 - Portland Labor Trends Report
- Previous - Portland Labor Trends Reports
Report: Portland Metro Job Growth
Report: Portland Community Profiles
Report: Around the State Employment News