Population
Abilene
127,130
Columbia
43,971
Median Income
Abilene
$62,720
Columbia
$61,204
Home Value
Abilene
$178,900
Columbia
$261,700
Rent
Abilene
$1,106
Columbia
$1,092
Crime Rate
Abilene
4.24
Columbia
5.73
Cost of Living
Abilene
100.3
Columbia
104.4
Avg Temp
Abilene
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Unemployment
Abilene
2.7%
Columbia
2.9%
How Similar Are Abilene & Columbia?
Columbia is Abilene's #12 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Abilene
127,130
Columbia
43,971
Abilene (127,130) is about 2.9x larger than Columbia (43,971).
Violent Crime
Abilene
4.24
Columbia
5.73
Columbia has a 26% higher violent crime than Abilene.
Property Crime
Abilene
17.63
Columbia
24.87
Columbia has a 29% higher property crime than Abilene.
Political Leaning
Abilene
86.2%
Columbia
71.8%
Both cities lean Republican, but Abilene has a stronger Republican lean (17% difference).
Unemployment
Abilene
2.7%
Columbia
2.9%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Abilene
$62,720
Columbia
$61,204
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Abilene
$178,900
Columbia
$261,700
Columbia has a 32% higher home values than Abilene.
Education
Abilene
16.8%
Columbia
15.7%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Abilene
66.6%
Columbia
72.7%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.
Cost of Living
Abilene
100.3
Columbia
104.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Abilene and Columbia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Abilene
0
Columbia
Cost of Living & Affordability — Abilene leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAbilene scores 76.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 93.6 in Columbia. Abilene has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,020 vs $1,138 in Columbia (10% lower). Abilene has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,276 vs $1,349 in Columbia (5% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Columbia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia has a median property tax of $1,448 vs $2,709 in Abilene (87% lower). Columbia has a median home value of $261,700 vs $178,900 in Abilene (32% higher). Columbia has a vacancy rate of 9.5% compared to 11.5% in Abilene.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Columbia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAbilene: 62,637 vs Columbia: 21,859 for labor force. Columbia has a work from home of 12.5% compared to 7.9% in Abilene. Columbia has a government sector of 45.8% compared to 39.7% in Abilene.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Abilene leads
Source: FBI UCRAbilene has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.20 compared to 9.24 in Columbia. Columbia has a property crime clearance of 26.3% compared to 9.2% in Abilene. Abilene has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.12 in Columbia.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColumbia has a high school diploma or higher of 38.5% compared to 35.4% in Abilene. Abilene has a bachelor's degree or higher of 16.8% compared to 15.7% in Columbia.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAbilene has a population of 127,130, about 2.9x the size of Columbia (43,971). Abilene skews younger with a median age of 32.8 vs 35.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Abilene
Columbia
Healthcare — Columbia leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColumbia: 3.5 vs Abilene: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Abilene leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAbilene has a public transit of 0.5% compared to 0.1% in Columbia. Columbia has a work from home of 12.5% compared to 7.9% in Abilene. Abilene has a drive alone of 77.8% compared to 75.8% in Columbia.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Abilene, TX
Compare Abilene against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.