State of Play PORTLAND–Multnomah County

Project Play’s 17th community State of Play report will explore the state of youth sports in Portland, Oregon, with a focus on Multnomah County. In partnership with Nike, Project Play’s State of Play Portland-Multnomah County report will identify the challenges and opportunities to make quality sports activities and other forms of physical activity available to all children.

Only 22% of Portland high school students were physically active at least 60 minutes daily as recommended by the CDC, below the U.S. average (25%), according to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Boys in Portland were twice as likely to be physically active as girls.

More than half of Portland students (55%) played on a school or community sports team in 2023, but participation varied by demographics. White youth (60%) were far more likely to play on a team than those who are Black (50%), Hispanic/Latino (45%) and Asian (43%). Students who identified as LGBTQ+ also played sports less than those who are heterosexual.

State of Play Portland-Multnomah County will unlock community-sourced recommendations on how to grow sports access. An advisory group of local leaders will guide the report, which will include survey results from youth about their sports experiences and qualitative findings from dialogue with children, parents, coaches, sports administrators and other community members.

The advisory group held its first meeting in February 2025. State of Play Portland-Multnomah County will be released in early 2026.

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