City · Sumner County, Tennessee

Portland, Tennessee

Portland is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, part of the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area. It has 13,449 residents. Portland, Tennessee has a quality-of-life score of 30 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,931 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Tennessee it ranks #95 of 305 cities and towns. It ranks best on child care cost burden (low), property crime rate (low) and math scores (high). It ranks worst on depression (high), frequent mental distress (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

30Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,931 of 15,651 cities and towns
Tennessee: #95 of 305 in TN
Population: 13,449 (2020-2024)
Land area: 15 mi²
Density: 888.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 4760280

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety68#5,018/15,637
Economy55#7,004/15,631
Housing57#6,424/14,977
Health17#12,995/15,609
Healthcare32#10,717/15,650
Environment32#10,528/15,453
Education52#7,459/15,649
Infrastructure15#13,285/15,650
Community21#12,363/15,651
Leisure & amenities41#9,301/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Portland, Tennessee ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Sumner County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low19.3%
96/100Tennessee 22.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSumner County value
Property crime rate · low478 /100k
90/100Tennessee 1,637 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationSumner County value
Math scores · high3.39
89/100Tennessee 2.99United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSumner County value
New homes permitted · high9.8 /1k
88/100Tennessee 5.7 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Effective property tax rate · low0.51%
87/100Tennessee 0.52%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.375
86/100Tennessee 0.476United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Weaknesses

Depression · high32.5%
2/100Tennessee 29.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · high22.3%
4/100Tennessee 22.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Distance to an Amtrak station · high131 mi
6/100Tennessee 93 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauSumner County value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,058 /100k
8/100Tennessee 2,914 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSumner County value
Adult obesity · high43.2%
9/100Tennessee 39.8%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · high20.6%
10/100Tennessee 21.0%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
12,729 (2015-2019) → 13,449 (2020-2024)
+5.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
41.2% (2015-2019) → 56.0% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.6× (2015-2019) → 3.9× (2020-2024)
+50%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$55,722 (2015-2019) → $72,647 (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
26.9% (2015-2019) → 32.3% (2020-2024)
+5.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.4% (2015-2019) → 89.8% (2020-2024)
+4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Portland, Tennessee improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Household income+30%$55,722 → $72,647
Bachelor's++3.4 points11.6% → 15.1%
Broadband+4.5 points85.4% → 89.8%

Declined2

Price / income+1.3×2.6× → 3.9×
Rent / income+5.4 points26.9% → 32.3%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Portland, Tennessee between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	28.0 min2015-2019	28.9 min2020-2024	+0.9 min	Within the margin of error	37%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.6%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Improved	55%
Broadband subscriptions	85.4%2015-2019	89.8%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Improved	28%
Child poverty rate	16.4%2015-2019	18.6%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Effective property tax rate	0.73%2015-2019	0.51%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	62%
High school diploma or higher	84.5%2015-2019	88.4%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	3.9×2020-2024	+1.3×	Declined	13%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3602015-2019	0.3752020-2024	+0.015	Within the margin of error	38%
Median household income	$55,7222015-2019	$72,6472020-2024	+30%	Improved	56%
Poverty rate	13.3%2015-2019	11.2%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Rent as share of income	26.9%2015-2019	32.3%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Declined	21%
Rent-burdened households	41.2%2015-2019	56.0%2020-2024	+15 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Unemployment rate	3.7%2015-2019	4.9%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.4%2015-2019	13.3%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	26%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Portland, Tennessee five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Portland, Tennessee in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Portland, Tennessee itself moved −10.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

13,449 residents (±58)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

5,018 households (±295)

Portland, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $25k11%†576
$25k–50k24%1,193
$50k–75k15%756

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

5,018 households (±295)

Portland, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Own67%3,347
Rent33%1,671

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

7,173 workers (±487)

Portland, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Drive alone79%5,666
Carpool11%†810
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Sumner County, the county holding most of Portland's residents.

Sumner County has 3,875 employer establishments, 186 for every 10,000 residents (0.75× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Tennessee's), with 56,402 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,664. The Census Bureau also counts 20,964 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,875; 20,964 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 186; US 248 · Tennessee 210
Paid employees: 56,402
Average annual pay: $52,664; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Sumner County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	366	17.6	0.84×About typical	5,196	$76,971	758
Specialty trade contractors	316	15.2	0.98×About typical	3,272	$70,831	1,412
Restaurants and other eating places	295	14.1	0.77×Fewer than typical	6,296	$22,774	113
Lessors of real estate	168	8.1	0.65×Fewer than typical	548	$53,188	1,842
Limited-service restaurants	131	6.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	2,844	$20,153	43
Religious organizations	129	6.2	1.12×About typical	1,306	$26,598	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	128	6.1	0.91×About typical	1,096	$50,401	1,306
Offices of physicians	127	6.1	0.94×About typical	2,641	$100,650	165
Construction of buildings	124	5.9	0.79×Fewer than typical	749	$63,483	704
Building equipment contractors	121	5.8	0.96×About typical	1,035	$71,347	283
Full-service restaurants	121	5.8	0.76×Fewer than typical	2,777	$26,590	40
Automotive repair and maintenance	107	5.1	1.02×About typical	668	$59,204	257

Rank places for an industry Open Sumner County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 208,501 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated -$7,351 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Portland, Tennessee: -$0.55 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: -$7,351
Per resident: -$0.55; US $1,995
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

PRECISION CABLE OF TENNESSEE, INC-$7,3510.0%

Spending by fiscal year

183.4KFY2017
6.4KFY2018
107.7KFY2019
135.1KFY2020
54.4KFY2021
20.6KFY2022
31.2KFY2023
42.1KFY2024
-500.8FY2025
-7.4KFY2026

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Portland, Tennessee, so they do not add up across cities.

Portland, Tennessee's figures are part of those of Sumner County, TN and Robertson County, TN ($10.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Portland is mostly in Sumner County.

See federal money in Sumner County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Portland, Tennessee is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Sumner County61100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN57

Other cities and towns in Sumner County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4760280

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends