Population
Anchorage
289,069
Columbus
906,480
Median Income
Anchorage
$98,152
Columbus
$65,327
Home Value
Anchorage
$375,900
Columbus
$234,500
Rent
Anchorage
$1,453
Columbus
$1,224
Crime Rate
Anchorage
10.15
Columbus
4.35
Cost of Living
Anchorage
151.7
Columbus
110.5
Avg Temp
Anchorage
N/A
Columbus
53°F
Unemployment
Anchorage
4.6%
Columbus
5.1%
How Similar Are Anchorage & Columbus?
Columbus is Anchorage's #23 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Anchorage
289,069
Columbus
906,480
Columbus (906,480) is about 3.1x larger than Anchorage (289,069).
Violent Crime
Anchorage
10.15
Columbus
4.35
Anchorage's violent crime is significantly higher than Columbus's — 57% difference.
Property Crime
Anchorage
27.66
Columbus
26.53
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 4% difference.
Political Leaning
Anchorage
43.7%
Columbus
35.3%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Anchorage has a stronger Democratic lean (19% difference).
Unemployment
Anchorage
4.6%
Columbus
5.1%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 10% difference.
Median Income
Anchorage
$98,152
Columbus
$65,327
Anchorage has a 33% higher median income than Columbus.
Home Values
Anchorage
$375,900
Columbus
$234,500
Anchorage has a 38% higher home values than Columbus.
Education
Anchorage
25.1%
Columbus
25.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.
Demographics
Anchorage
58.3%
Columbus
53.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.
Cost of Living
Anchorage
151.7
Columbus
110.5
Anchorage has a 27% higher cost of living than Columbus.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Anchorage and Columbus share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Anchorage
0
Columbus
Columbus leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbus leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbus scores 89.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 150.0 in Anchorage. Columbus has a living wage (1 adult) of $48,601 vs $66,750 in Anchorage (37% lower). Columbus has a living wage (family of 4) of $114,875 vs $157,772 in Anchorage (37% 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAnchorage has a median home value of $375,900 vs $234,500 in Columbus (60% higher). Columbus has a median property tax of $3,165 vs $4,865 in Anchorage (54% lower). Anchorage has a owner-occupied of 63.7% compared to 44.3% in Columbus.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus: 512,498 vs Anchorage: 158,566 for labor force. Anchorage has a median household income of $98,152 vs $65,327 in Columbus (50% higher). Anchorage has a poverty rate of 9.3% compared to 17.9% in Columbus.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Columbus leads
Source: FBI UCRAnchorage has a property crime clearance of 17.2% compared to 3.6% in Columbus. Columbus has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.11 compared to 6.77 in Anchorage. Columbus has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 4.35 compared to 10.15 in Anchorage.
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 — Columbus leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColumbus has a high school diploma or higher of 42.1% compared to 41.4% in Anchorage. Columbus has a bachelor's degree or higher of 25.4% compared to 25.1% in Anchorage.
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 ACSColumbus has a population of 906,480, about 3.1x the size of Anchorage (289,069). Columbus skews younger with a median age of 33.0 vs 34.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Anchorage
Columbus
Healthcare — Columbus leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColumbus: 3.0 vs Anchorage: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAnchorage has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.4% in Columbus. Columbus has a work from home of 16.1% compared to 9.6% in Anchorage. Columbus has a public transit of 2.1% compared to 1.4% in Anchorage.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Anchorage, AK
Compare Anchorage 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.