Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Portland grades C overall, 281st among Texas's 640 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $270K for a typical one and 4 times the Corpus Christi metro’s $67K median household income. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $84K. Portland’s January low is 49°F, above both the Texas town median (37°F) and the median of U.S. towns (22°F). Portland's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 88% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Indian Point Park, at 35 acres.
15,099 counted in 2010 and 20,383 in 2020; an estimated 20,833 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Portland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,202 in 1950, 20,383 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1925 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Portland, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Portland.
Portland fares better on crime within Texas than nationally and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
The average commute for its 7,998 working residents takes 20.5 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas. Jobs based here grew from 3,152 in 2013 to 4,885.
Most working residents leave Portland for work: only 14% work in town. Portland’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. Since 2013, Portland has added 1,733 jobs, to 4,885 in 2023.
| Portland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $84,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Gregory-Portland ISD. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gregory-Portland H S, with 1,511 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gregory-Portland MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,148 | B |
| Gregory-Portland H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,511 | B |
| East Cliff ElTop results in townGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 474 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
100 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 13 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 100 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Portland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Corpus Christi weather station, 13 miles away, records that about 123 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average 48.5°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.2°.
Portland has warm winters and warm summers. The July high in Portland is 91°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Texas average. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Texas.
| Portland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.7 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 14% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 26% | 26% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 23% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.7 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Portland | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.7% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.2% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.4% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.4% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.7% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.2% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.7% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.1% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.1% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.2% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.5% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Portland home is worth about $270,000, up 1.7% in a year, 9% below the Texas typical home. 63% of households own their home in Portland.
| Portland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,577 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 16 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 70% of Texas’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 331 to 212 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Portland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Indian Point Park | 0.1 mi | 35 |
| 2. Hunt Municipal Park | — | 19 |
| 3. Bayside Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Portland beats the Texas average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 19% of Portland adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Portland | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 74% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 39% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Portland | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 16.1% | 19.3% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 8.9% | 10.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Portland. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi MuseumUSS Lexington
6 mi Zoo & aquariumTexas State Aquarium
24 mi National SeashorePadre Island National Seashore573K visitors a year
7 mi MuseumArt Museum of South Texas
17 mi GardenSouth Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature CenterUSS Lexington: USN, Public domain · Texas State Aquarium: Smcafee87, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Padre Island National Seashore: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Art Museum of South Texas: Jim Evans, CC BY-SA 4.0 · South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center: Phil Slattery, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Portland
About 4 of every 100 Portland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
Where Portland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Texas, United States
Portland is a city primarily located in San Patricio County with some portions extending into Nueces County, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located along the north shore of Corpus Christi Bay and Nueces Bay, across from Corpus Christi, in the Coastal Bend region. Portland was established in 1890 as a port and agricultural community by land developer John G. Willacy, who saw the city's high bluff and bays as an opportunity. The early settlement of the area progressed slowly until the establishment of transportation routes and developing industries, primarily in Corpus Christi, stimulated Portland's growth. Portland was officially incorporated in 1949. Throughout the twentieth century, Por…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Portland.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | #281 | C | D | B | B | B− |
| Corpus Christi | #602 | D− | C− | D | C+ | C |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Portland grades C overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #281 of 640 in Texas. It grades B− for health, B for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
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