Population

Aiken

32,334

Opelika

31,944

Median Income

Aiken

$69,837

Opelika

$58,763

Home Value

Aiken

$261,800

Opelika

$213,700

Rent

Aiken

$1,199

Opelika

$947

Crime Rate

Aiken

5.69

Opelika

5.60

Cost of Living

Aiken

111.3

Opelika

95.7

Avg Temp

Aiken

N/A

Opelika

N/A

Unemployment

Aiken

4.7%

Opelika

5.1%

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How Similar Are Aiken & Opelika?

Opelika is Aiken's #16 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Aiken

32,334

vs

Opelika

31,944

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Aiken at 32,334 and Opelika at 31,944.

Violent Crime

Aiken

5.69

vs

Opelika

5.60

Match · 2% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Aiken

39.58

vs

Opelika

26.24

Different · 34% difference

Aiken has a 34% higher property crime than Opelika.

Political Leaning

Aiken

62.3%

vs

Opelika

63.3%

Match · 2% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 2% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Aiken

4.7%

vs

Opelika

5.1%

Match · 9% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.

Median Income

Aiken

$69,837

vs

Opelika

$58,763

Different · 16% difference
💰

Aiken has a 16% higher median income than Opelika.

Home Values

🏠

Aiken

$261,800

vs

Opelika

$213,700

Different · 18% difference

Aiken has a 18% higher home values than Opelika.

Education

Aiken

32.5%

vs

Opelika

24.0%

Different · 26% difference
🎓

Aiken has a 26% higher education than Opelika.

Demographics

🌍

Aiken

60.1%

vs

Opelika

55.4%

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.

Cost of Living

Aiken

111.3

vs

Opelika

95.7

Different · 14% difference
💵

Aiken has a 14% higher cost of living than Opelika.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Aiken and Opelika share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Aiken

vsof 8

0

Opelika

Opelika leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Opelika leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Opelika scores 100.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 125.1 in Aiken. Opelika scores 95.7 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 111.3 in Aiken. Opelika has a living wage (family of 4) of $99,532 vs $115,715 in Aiken (16% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Aiken111.3
Opelika95.7

Housing Index

Aiken125.1
Opelika100.7

Food Index

Aiken103.4
Opelika94.9

Transportation Index

Aiken100.0
Opelika89.7

Healthcare Index

Aiken102.7
Opelika95.9

Utilities Index

Aiken107.0
Opelika97.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Aiken$48,956
Opelika$42,110

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Aiken$115,715
Opelika$99,532

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Aiken$1,114
Opelika$1,077

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Aiken$1,261
Opelika$1,181

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Opelika has a vacancy rate of 8.8% compared to 11.7% in Aiken. Opelika has a median rent of $947 vs $1,199 in Aiken (27% lower). Aiken has a median home value of $261,800 vs $213,700 in Opelika (23% higher).

Median Home Value

Aiken$261,800
Opelika$213,700

Median Rent

Aiken$1,199
Opelika$947

Median Property Tax

Aiken$1,207
Opelika$1,093

Owner-Occupied

Aiken69.7%
Opelika68.8%

Vacancy Rate

Aiken11.7%
Opelika8.8%

Single-Family Homes

Aiken81.2%
Opelika70.3%

Jobs & Economy — Opelika leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Aiken has a work from home of 9.8% compared to 5.9% in Opelika. Aiken has a per capita income of $41,976 vs $33,595 in Opelika (25% higher). Aiken has a median household income of $69,837 vs $58,763 in Opelika (19% higher).

Median Household Income

Aiken$69,837
Opelika$58,763

Per Capita Income

Aiken$41,976
Opelika$33,595

Poverty Rate

Aiken16.3%
Opelika15.0%

Unemployment Rate

Aiken4.7%
Opelika5.1%

Labor Force

Aiken14,421
Opelika15,700

Mean Commute

Aiken21 min
Opelika20 min

Work from Home

Aiken9.8%
Opelika5.9%

Private Sector

Aiken86.1%
Opelika89.8%

Government Sector

Aiken37.6%
Opelika41.4%

Crime & Safety — Opelika leads

Source: FBI UCR

Opelika has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.06 compared to 3.40 in Aiken. Opelika has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 22.18 compared to 34.04 in Aiken. Opelika has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 26.24 compared to 39.58 in Aiken.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Aiken5.69
Opelika5.60

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Aiken39.58
Opelika26.24

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Aiken0.12
Opelika0.09

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Aiken0.60
Opelika0.55

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Aiken4.39
Opelika4.47

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Aiken3.40
Opelika2.06

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Aiken34.04
Opelika22.18

Violent Crime Clearance

Aiken29.6%
Opelika43.5%

Property Crime Clearance

Aiken28.7%
Opelika19.1%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

AikenN/A
OpelikaN/A

Avg Annual High

AikenN/A
OpelikaN/A

Avg Annual Low

AikenN/A
OpelikaN/A

Sunny Days per Year

AikenN/A
OpelikaN/A

Annual Rainfall

AikenN/A
OpelikaN/A

Annual Snowfall

AikenN/A
OpelikaN/A

Avg Humidity

AikenN/A
OpelikaN/A

Schools & Education — Aiken leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Aiken has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.5% compared to 24.0% in Opelika. Aiken has a high school diploma or higher of 49.0% compared to 41.5% in Opelika.

Public Schools

Aiken0
Opelika0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

AikenN/A
OpelikaN/A

Colleges & Universities

Aiken0
Opelika0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Aiken32.5%
Opelika24.0%

High School Diploma or Higher

Aiken49.0%
Opelika41.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Aiken has a population of 32,334, about 1x the size of Opelika (31,944). Opelika skews younger with a median age of 40.2 vs 46.5.

Population

Aiken32,334
Opelika31,944

Median Age

Aiken47
Opelika40

Avg Household Size

Aiken2.4
Opelika2.4

Married Population

Aiken40.1%
Opelika39.8%

Foreign Born

Aiken3.7%
Opelika4.9%

White

Aiken60.1%
Opelika55.4%

Black

Aiken32.2%
Opelika37.5%

Hispanic

Aiken3.5%
Opelika9.7%

Asian

Aiken2.0%
Opelika1.8%

Aiken

Opelika

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Aiken: 2.5 vs Opelika: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Opelika: 5 vs Aiken: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Aiken5
Opelika5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Aiken2.5
Opelika2.0

With Emergency Services

Aiken4
Opelika5

Transportation & Commute — Opelika leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Opelika has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.0% in Aiken. Opelika has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 0.4% in Aiken. Aiken has a work from home of 9.8% compared to 5.9% in Opelika.

Mean Commute Time

Aiken21 min
Opelika20 min

Drive Alone

Aiken79.5%
Opelika82.4%

Public Transit

Aiken0.4%
Opelika1.4%

Bicycle

Aiken0.0%
Opelika0.2%

Work from Home

Aiken9.8%
Opelika5.9%

Airports

Aiken0
Opelika0

Cities Similar to Aiken, SC

Compare Aiken 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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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