Population
Albany
100,081
Columbia
138,019
Median Income
Albany
$59,485
Columbia
$55,653
Home Value
Albany
$223,000
Columbia
$243,500
Rent
Albany
$1,178
Columbia
$1,158
Crime Rate
Albany
8.17
Columbia
7.70
Cost of Living
Albany
110.4
Columbia
100.1
Avg Temp
Albany
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Unemployment
Albany
8.3%
Columbia
7.6%
How Similar Are Albany & Columbia?
Columbia is Albany's #1 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Albany
100,081
Columbia
138,019
Columbia has a 27% larger population than Albany.
Violent Crime
Albany
8.17
Columbia
7.70
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 6% difference.
Property Crime
Albany
28.48
Columbia
32.33
Columbia has a 12% higher property crime than Albany.
Political Leaning
Albany
37.1%
Columbia
31.8%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Albany has a stronger Democratic lean (14% difference).
Unemployment
Albany
8.3%
Columbia
7.6%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
Albany
$59,485
Columbia
$55,653
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Albany
$223,000
Columbia
$243,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Albany
28.3%
Columbia
26.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Albany
53.0%
Columbia
49.9%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Albany
110.4
Columbia
100.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Albany and Columbia are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Albany
0
Columbia
Columbia leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbia leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbia has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,276 vs $1,702 in Albany (33% lower). Columbia has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,164 vs $1,417 in Albany (22% lower). Columbia scores 76.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 90.9 in Albany.
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 $1,608 vs $5,235 in Albany (226% lower). Columbia has a single-family homes of 57.4% compared to 32.2% in Albany. Columbia has a owner-occupied of 47.3% compared to 37.9% in Albany.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Columbia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia: 76,809 vs Albany: 55,465 for labor force. Albany has a work from home of 11.9% compared to 9.8% in Columbia. Columbia has a government sector of 38.4% compared to 33.2% in Albany.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Albany leads
Source: FBI UCRColumbia has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.09 compared to 1.79 in Albany. Albany has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.12 compared to 4.97 in Columbia. Columbia has a property crime clearance of 13.4% compared to 10.9% in Albany.
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 — Albany leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAlbany has a high school diploma or higher of 41.1% compared to 37.5% in Columbia. Albany has a bachelor's degree or higher of 28.3% compared to 26.5% 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 ACSColumbia has a population of 138,019, about 1.4x the size of Albany (100,081). Columbia skews younger with a median age of 28.7 vs 31.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Albany
Columbia
Healthcare — Columbia leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColumbia: 3.8 vs Albany: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Albany leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAlbany has a public transit of 10.9% compared to 1.4% in Columbia. Albany has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.3% in Columbia. Albany has a work from home of 11.9% compared to 9.8% in Columbia.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Albany, NY
Compare Albany 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.