Portland, Texas
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 2.1% since 2020.
20,833
people, the 151st-largest of Texas's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Texas's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
8 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
76.2%
of 5,194 jobs located in Portland are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 88% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$1,577
a month. Texas's median is $1,403.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.
A $1,098 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in San Patricio County.
- $933 Tract 110
- $2,031 Tract 107
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
The median rent is above what local wages can carry.
$878–$1,318
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $1,577 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
65% of the housing here was built before 2000.
- 329 homes permitted, 2022–2025
- 0% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 65% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.4–0.6% to the 8,542 homes here.
32–52
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 17% less than Texas's.
$234,800
median home value in Portland.
- $234,800 Portland
- $283,800 Texas
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year