Elevation of Portland
32ft
above sea level · 10 m
Portland is a city in Oregon with 635,109 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 12th lowest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 45.52° N · 122.68° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 45° 31′ 24″ N · 122° 40′ 34″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 10T · 525,286 E · 5,041,153 N
- Zone 10 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Pacific Time
- UTC−8 · UTC−7 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 635,109 people
- 133 sq mi of land · 4,758 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from August 2024: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Portland had 635,109 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 2.7% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 652,466. Its 133 sq mi of land work out to 4,758 people/sq mi; the state average is 45 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 426 places the Census counts in Oregon (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 15% of the state’s population.
The city spreads across 3 counties. By population: Multnomah County (632,627), Washington County (1,632), and Clackamas County (850). Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Multnomah County.
Compared with other big cities
Portland sits at 32 ft (10 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Portland is 826 ft below it.
The state capital, Salem, is 44 mi away in a straight line and 125 ft higher than Portland.
The highest point in Oregon is Mount Hood, at 11,239 ft according to the USGS: 11,207 ft above Portland, 49 mi away in a straight line.
- 80 Portland 32 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Portland.
What is the elevation of Portland?
Portland is 32 feet (10 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Portland?
Latitude 45.52345 and longitude -122.67621, in decimal degrees (45° 31′ 24″ N · 122° 40′ 34″ W). In UTM, zone 10: 525,286 E and 5,041,153 N, on NAD83.
How does Portland rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 12th lowest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Portland in?
Several: Multnomah County, Washington County, and Clackamas County. Most of its people live in Multnomah County.
Which is higher, Portland or Salem?
Salem. Portland sits at 32 ft and Salem at 157 ft: a difference of 125 ft, 44 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know