Avoid These 5 Dangerous Portland Neighborhoods in 2024

#5 Bridgeton — Crime Rate 1,041/100k People

One of the smallest of all Portland’s neighborhoods with just under 1,000 residents, Bridgeton is located in northern Portland bordering the Columbia River. Once a thriving fishing and farming community, the neighborhood now struggles with high crime that is 322 percent above the national average. Violent crime in the area is 181 percent above the national average.

Like the greater Portland area, Bridgeton’s property crime rate dominates with 8,763 property crimes committed per 100,000 people. The area’s violent crime rate eclipses Portland’s overall rate. Bridgeton has a violent crime rate of 1,041 while Portland’s is 751 per 100,000 people. Both the community of Bridgeton and the city of Portland overshadow Oregon’s overall violent crime rate of 342 per 100,000 people.

From November 2022 to November 2023, the Portland Police Bureau documented a total of 185 reported offenses. There were 37 assaults and 139 property crimes in the community during that year. With a crime rate 39 percent higher than Portland’s, Bridgeton comes in as the fifth most dangerous neighborhood to avoid.

#4 Lents — Crime Rate 1,063/100k People

The east Portland neighborhood of Lents is an incredibly diverse area. Niche rates Lents as the eighth most diverse community in Portland. The Portland Neighborhoods: 2020 Census Profiles report also puts Lents at number 8 out of all Portland neighborhoods for its share of the immigrant population. Known as the Crossroads of the Eastside, Interstate 205 cuts through Lents, dividing it into two pieces.

Despite its good reputation for diversity, the neighborhood of Lents is notoriously dangerous. Violent crime in the area is 331 percent above the national average. Violent crime is 181 percent and property crime is 358 percent higher than the national average. Total crime in Lents occurs at 10,018 people per 100,000 people. The national average is 2,324 per 100,000 people.

The Portland Police Bureau documented 2,001 reported crimes between November 2021 and November 2022. There were 369 assaults and 5 murders during that time period. Property crime stands out in the area with 8,955 per 100,000 people and 1,542 reported crimes dealing with property over the 2021-2022 year.

With a crime rate 42 percent higher than Portland’s, Lents is the city’s fourth most dangerous neighborhood.

#3 Powellhurst-Gilbert — Crime Rate 1,098/100k People

Another neighborhood praised for its diversity, Powellhurst-Gilbert ranked even higher than Lents taking Niche’s fourth most-diverse neighborhood in Portland. While its diversity ranked among the top five variables in the Portland Neighborhoods: 2020 Census Profiles report’s characteristic profile, Powellhurst-Gilbert ranked among the bottom five variables for poverty rate and food insecurity.

Located in East Portland, Powellhurst-Gilbert has a crime rate 345 percent above the national average. Its violent crime rate stands 197 percent above the national average and property crime is 373 percent above the national average. Total crime in the neighborhood occurs at 10,345 per 100,000 people.

There were 518 assaults, two murders, and 1,420 property crimes reported from November 2021 to November 2022, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Powellhurst-Gilbert’s crime rate of 46 percent above that of Portland’s makes it the city’s third most dangerous city.

#2 Centennial — Crime Rate 1,117/100k People

The East Portland neighborhood of Centennial borders the sprawling nature reserve of Powell Butte Nature Park in the south. Centennial boasts a Chinese temple, a Korean Buddhist temple, various Christian churches, and an Ethiopian Orthodox church within its borders. The neighborhood’s religious diversity reflects its overall diversity. Centennial boasts Niche’s number-one spot for the most diverse neighborhood in Portland.

This accolade, however, stands in contrast to Centennial’s rank as the second most dangerous neighborhood in Portland. With a total crime rate 353 percent above the national average, and a violent crime rate soaring 202 percent higher than the national average, living in Centennial can be dangerous.

The total crime rate in Centennial is 10,526 per 100,000 people, with 1,117 violent crimes and 9,408 property crimes reported per 100,000 people. From November 2021 to November 2022, the Portland Police Bureau documented 396 assaults and seven murders in the neighborhood. There were 1,839 total crimes reported during that year. Property crime is once again the most-committed crime with 1,357 property crimes reported in that time period.

With a crime rate 49 percent higher than Portland, Centennial is the city’s second most dangerous neighborhood.

#1 Sunderland — Crime Rate 1,164/100k People

Primarily an industrial area, most of Sunderland’s 698 residents live along NE Marine Drive. The Columbia River borders the neighborhood to the north and Portland International Airport borders Sunderland to the east. The Riverside Golf and Country Club is situated at the center of the community.

Despite its small population, Sunderland suffers from a skyrocketing total crime rate that is 372 percent above the national average. Residents are forced to endure a violent crime rate 215 percent above the national average, and a property crime rate 401 percent higher than that of the entire United States.

In Sunderland, total crime sits at 10,961 per 100,000 people, with 1,164 violent crimes and 9,798 property crimes committed per 100,000 people. You are 55 percent more likely to be a victim of crime in Sunderland than in Portland. Drug trafficking and violence plague the area, making it the most dangerous Portland neighborhood in 2024. You might want to look elsewhere when choosing a community to lay down your roots.