Portland, OR (population: 573,530) has five graphic design schools within its city limits. ITT Technical Institute-Portland, the highest ranked school in the city with a graphic design program, has a total student population of 816. It is the 2441st highest ranked school in the USA and the 27th highest in the state of Oregon (#1 is Reed College).
Graphic Design students from Portland schools who go on to become graphic designers, animation designers, fashion designers, web designers, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 200,870 people working as graphic designers alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $47,820.
Portland lies in Clackamas county, which is one of the 16 counties in Oregon. Overall, the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton-WA area has 993,470 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 0.6% unemployment rate, $22.15/hr average worker wage, and a $46,080 average annual salary.
Of the 5 graphic design schools in Portland, only 2 have a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, The Art Institute of Portland comes out as the most expensive ($31,420/yr) for graphic design students, with Portland Community College as the lowest, reported at only $6,829/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Portland |
| Vancouver | WA | 169,603 | 5 | 29.2795 | 91 | 6.3 miles |
| Beaverton | OR | 94,639 | 1 | 27.5128 | 6 | 8.8 miles |
| Aloha | OR | 48,328 | 1 | 25.9507 | 7 | 10.8 miles |
| Gresham | OR | 104,562 | 1 | 12.9715 | 88 | 11.0 miles |
| Oregon City | OR | - | 1 | 13.6089 | 75 | 12.9 miles |
| McMinnville | OR | - | 3 | 33.009 | 71 | 34.7 miles |
| Salem | OR | 157,890 | 12 | 32.4146 | 406 | 46.3 miles |
| The Dalles | OR | - | 1 | 11.3829 | 21 | 71.8 miles |
| Astoria | OR | - | 2 | 18.4622 | 36 | 72.0 miles |
| Corvallis | OR | 51,582 | 1 | 28.8426 | 8 | 73.6 miles |