PORTLAND, Maine — The City of Portland has released the results of a community survey conducted in late 2025, giving residents a chance to review feedback on city programs, services, and long-term investments before a City Council workshop scheduled for Monday, March 23, 2026.
The survey was designed to gather opinions on city services and priorities, support decision-making that reflects community concerns, and create a benchmark for measuring progress over time.
City staff worked with ETC Institute, a national survey research firm that specializes in municipal resident surveys, to conduct the effort. ETC compiled and analyzed the results and will present them to the City Council during the upcoming workshop. Because the firm administers similar surveys across the country, Portland’s results were also compared with those of other municipalities at the regional and national level.
“I’m so glad we made the funds available to complete this work, as this data will go far in helping us direct our policy work,” said Mayor Mark Dion. “I look forward to reviewing these results further with my colleagues and the survey consultant. I encourage the public to attend the March 23 workshop so they can understand the results and see how we’re doing compared to other cities.”
“I want to thank the community for their survey responses,” said City Manager Danielle West. “It’s great to see the high level of satisfaction with many of our operational services. I look forward to reviewing these results further with the Mayor & Council to see how these results can shape our future work.”
One section of the survey asked residents about their overall perception of Portland as a community. Respondents reported strong satisfaction with several areas, including quality of life in neighborhoods and in the city overall.
At the same time, the survey found significant dissatisfaction in other areas. Seventy-five percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the affordability of living in Portland and the availability of affordable housing. Nearly half also expressed dissatisfaction with the value they receive for city taxes and fees.
Another portion of the survey focused on city services and programs. Residents reported high levels of satisfaction with several core services, including public safety, solid waste services, and customer service from city employees.
Still, more than 40 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with traffic flow and the ease of getting around Portland, as well as the maintenance of city streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure.
Based on satisfaction levels and resident priorities, ETC concluded that the city should place the greatest emphasis over the next two years on maintaining streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure, improving traffic flow and mobility, and addressing the quality of social services provided by the city.
The survey also found that Portland residents are generally more satisfied with city services and programs than residents in many other cities, especially when it comes to public safety, solid waste services, and customer service from city employees. But compared with peer cities, Portland scored lower in the maintenance of streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure and in the ease of traveling around the city.
The survey was conducted through mail, phone, and online responses. A total of 1,112 surveys were completed, surpassing the city’s goal of 1,100 responses needed for statistical validity based on Portland’s population. The results carry a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.
At least 200 completed surveys were collected from each of Portland’s five council districts. The survey was also made available online and by phone in multiple languages. City staff said they worked with community partners to ensure the results reflected the voices of Portland residents across the community, including those who use emergency shelter services.
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