Portland Ranked Among Best Big Cities to Live in
Monday, July 24, 2017
GoLocalPDX News Team
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| Portland ranked among best big cities to live in |
According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Portland is ranked as the 12th best big city to live in out of 62 ranked U.S. cities.
“According to U.S. Census Bureau data, large urban centers today are growing at nearly twice the rate recorded during the opening decade of the 21st century.
And the factors fueling greater population density seem obvious: Big cities epitomize opportunity, economic or otherwise, which appeals especially to young professionals seeking advancement in their careers and social lives. The other main draw? Easy access to diverse dining and entertainment options that are comparatively scarce in more rural settings,” said WalletHub.
Portland’s Ranking
- 44th Best - Affordability
- 27th Best - Economy
- 13th Best - Education & Health
- 6th Best - Quality of Life
- 46th Best - Safety
- 5th - Highest % of population aged 25 & older with a high school diploma or higher
- 3rd - Best Bike Score
The Rankings
Portland ranks behind San Jose, California and New York who rank 10th and 11th respectively. Portland ranks ahead of Honolulu, Hawaii and Tampa, Florida who rank 13th and 14th respectively.
Virginia Beach, Virginia is ranked as the best big city to live in, while Detroit, Michigan is ranked as the worst.
See the full rankings in the map below
The Method
In order to determine the best and worst large cities to live in, WalletHub’s analysts compared a sample of 62 U.S. cities (with populations of more than 300,000 each) across five key dimensions: 1) Affordability, 2) Economy, 3) Education & Health, 4) Quality of Life, and 5) Safety.
They evaluated those dimensions using 50 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable living conditions.
Finally, they determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score then used the resulting scores to rank-order the cities in our sample.
Affordability – Total Points: 20
- Housing Costs: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
- Median Annual Property Taxes: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
- Cost of Living: Triple Weight (~8.57 Points)
- Median Annual Household Income: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
- Homeownership Rate: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Economy – Total Points: 20
- Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
- Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
- Share of Population Living Below Poverty Level: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
- Debt per Median Earnings: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
- Population Growth: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
- Income Growth: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
- Building-Permit Growth: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
- Wealth Gap: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
- Job Opportunities: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Education & Health – Total Points: 20
- Quality of Public School System: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
- High School Graduation Rate: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
- Share of Population Aged 25 & Older with a High School Diploma or Higher: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
- Share of Insured Population: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
- Quality of Public Hospital System: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
- Premature-Death Rate: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
- Poor or Fair Health: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
- Life Expectancy: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
- Share of Live Births with Low Birthweight: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
- Share of Obese Adults: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
- Share of Physically Inactive Adults: Full Weight (~1.82 Points)
Quality of Life – Total Points: 20
- Average Number of Hours Worked per Week: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Average Commute Time (in Minutes): Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Walk Score: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Bike Score: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Access to Public Transportation: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Parkland (as Share of City Area): Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Playgrounds per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Restaurants per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Bars per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Clubs per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Coffee Shops per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Museums per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Performing Arts Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Movie Theaters per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Music Venues per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Fitness Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Shopping Centers per Capita: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Beaches per Capita*: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Sports Fan-Friendliness: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Weather: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
- Air Quality: Full Weight (~0.95 Points)
Safety – Total Points: 20
- Violent-Crime Rate: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Property-Crime Rate: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Total Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
