Oregon

Distance from Portland to Salem

Straight-line distance

46.1mi

Portland, OR and Salem, OR are 46.1 miles (74.2 km) apart in a straight line. From Portland, the shortest path starts out heading SSW (203°).

kilometers
74.2
nautical miles
40.0
heading from Portland
203° SSW
heading from Salem
23° NNE
PortlandSalem

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Portland is from Salem

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Portland and Salem is 46.1 miles, 74.2 km or 40.0 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 46.1 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
46.1
Kilometers
74.2
Nautical miles
40.0
Bearing from Portland
203.3° SSW
Bearing arriving at Salem
203.1°
Bearing from Salem
23.1° NNE

Halfway between Portland and Salem

The great-circle midpoint is at 45.230602, -122.837506 (45°13'50.17"N 122°50'15.02"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Donald, OR, with 1,013 residents, 0.6 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Portland gets 15 h 41 min of daylight and Salem 15 h 37 min; on December 21, 8 h 42 min and 8 h 47 min. Portland is 0.61° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Portland has 3.5 times the population of Salem. From July 2020 to July 2024, Portland changed by -2.7% and Salem by +2.5%. Both are in Oregon.

  1. 01Portland, OR635,749 (-2.7%)
  2. 02Salem, OR180,406 (+2.5%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Portland from Salem?

46.1 miles, 74.2 km or 40.0 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Salem from Portland?

SSW. The great-circle path leaves Portland on a bearing of 203.3° and arrives at Salem on 203.1°. The return trip starts on 23.1°.

What is halfway between Portland and Salem?

The midpoint is at 45.230602, -122.837506. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Donald, OR, 0.6 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Portland and Salem?

Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Portland or Salem?

Portland, with 635,749 residents in July 2024 against 180,406 for Salem, 3.5 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.