What Portland homeowners do for a living
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Those in the education and social services sectors are most likely to own homes in Portland, according to a new analysis shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: Who can afford to own a home is shifting — reflecting rising housing costs and changing job geography, per the National Association of Realtors analysis of census data.
By the numbers: Homeownership among management and business professionals slipped over the last decade, dropping from 71% in 2014 to 67% in 2024.
- Educators and social services took over the top spot, rising from 63% to 68%.
- Skilled trades and construction workers saw the biggest gains, jumping 9% over that period.
- The biggest drop came for those in transportation and public safety, whose ownership rate dropped from 56% to 48%.
Zoom out: Local shifts — tied to housing affordability and job mix — don't fully mirror national trends.
- In around 61% of 368 metro areas analyzed, the occupation most likely to own a home in 2024 wasn't the same as in 2014.
- Management and business workers now lead in half of metros, followed by STEM workers (in 24% of metros), then education and social services workers (12%).
- "It's not just about jobs. It's really about where those jobs are located, and how affordable housing is in those markets," NAR principal economist Nadia Evangelou tells Axios.
Between the lines: A lack of affordable supply is keeping homeownership out of reach for many.
- The national median single-family home price grew to five times the median household income in 2024, according to a recent Harvard report.
- That holds true in Portland, where the median household income from 2020-24 was around $90,000, and the median home sells for roughly $500,000.
The bottom line: "There are not enough homes at the price point people can afford to buy, and that's pushing even strong earners out of homeownership," Evangelou says.