Oregon to Washington

Distance from Portland to Tacoma

Straight-line distance

118.9mi

Portland, OR and Tacoma, WA are 118.9 miles (191.3 km) apart in a straight line. From Portland, the shortest path starts out heading N (4°).

kilometers
191.3
nautical miles
103.3
heading from Portland
4° N
heading from Tacoma
184° S
PortlandTacoma

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

How far Portland is from Tacoma

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Portland and Tacoma is 118.9 miles, 191.3 km or 103.3 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 118.9 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
118.9
Kilometers
191.3
Nautical miles
103.3
Bearing from Portland
4.3° N
Bearing arriving at Tacoma
4.4°
Bearing from Tacoma
184.4° S

Halfway between Portland and Tacoma

The great-circle midpoint is at 46.394639, -122.556395 (46°23'40.70"N 122°33'23.02"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Morton, WA, with 1,089 residents, 17.3 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 Tacoma 15 h 56 min; on December 21, 8 h 42 min and 8 h 28 min. Tacoma is 1.72° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Portland has 2.8 times the population of Tacoma. From July 2020 to July 2024, Portland changed by -2.7% and Tacoma by +3.8%. The trip crosses from Oregon into Washington.

  1. 01Portland, OR635,749 (-2.7%)
  2. 02Tacoma, WA228,202 (+3.8%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Portland from Tacoma?

118.9 miles, 191.3 km or 103.3 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Tacoma from Portland?

N. The great-circle path leaves Portland on a bearing of 4.3° and arrives at Tacoma on 4.4°. The return trip starts on 184.4°.

What is halfway between Portland and Tacoma?

The midpoint is at 46.394639, -122.556395. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Morton, WA, 17.3 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Portland and Tacoma?

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

Which is bigger, Portland or Tacoma?

Portland, with 635,749 residents in July 2024 against 228,202 for Tacoma, 2.8 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.