Population
Birmingham
199,322
Columbus
204,383
Median Income
Birmingham
$44,376
Columbus
$56,622
Home Value
Birmingham
$138,600
Columbus
$182,300
Rent
Birmingham
$1,047
Columbus
$1,072
Crime Rate
Birmingham
12.48
Columbus
6.08
Cost of Living
Birmingham
85.2
Columbus
96.1
Avg Temp
Birmingham
N/A
Columbus
N/A
Unemployment
Birmingham
6.1%
Columbus
6.5%
How Similar Are Birmingham & Columbus?
Columbus is Birmingham's #18 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Birmingham
199,322
Columbus
204,383
Both cities have similar populations — Birmingham at 199,322 and Columbus at 204,383.
Violent Crime
Birmingham
12.48
Columbus
6.08
Birmingham's violent crime is significantly higher than Columbus's — 51% difference.
Property Crime
Birmingham
40.31
Columbus
22.36
Birmingham has a 45% higher property crime than Columbus.
Political Leaning
Birmingham
44.2%
Columbus
38.0%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Birmingham has a stronger Democratic lean (14% difference).
Unemployment
Birmingham
6.1%
Columbus
6.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Birmingham
$44,376
Columbus
$56,622
Columbus has a 22% higher median income than Birmingham.
Home Values
Birmingham
$138,600
Columbus
$182,300
Columbus has a 24% higher home values than Birmingham.
Education
Birmingham
21.2%
Columbus
19.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Birmingham
25.6%
Columbus
39.3%
Columbus has a 35% higher demographics than Birmingham.
Cost of Living
Birmingham
85.2
Columbus
96.1
Columbus has a 11% higher cost of living than Birmingham.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Birmingham and Columbus differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Birmingham
0
Columbus
Birmingham leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Birmingham leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $939 vs $1,155 in Birmingham (23% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,088 vs $1,266 in Birmingham (16% lower). Birmingham has a living wage (1 adult) of $37,482 vs $42,291 in Columbus (11% 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 — Columbus leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus has a vacancy rate of 11.7% compared to 18.7% in Birmingham. Birmingham has a median property tax of $930 vs $1,526 in Columbus (39% lower). Columbus has a median home value of $182,300 vs $138,600 in Birmingham (24% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus has a poverty rate of 18.8% compared to 25.2% in Birmingham. Columbus has a median household income of $56,622 vs $44,376 in Birmingham (22% higher). Birmingham has a government sector of 40.1% compared to 36.1% 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 UCRColumbus has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.13 compared to 0.59 in Birmingham. Columbus has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.51 compared to 2.01 in Birmingham. Columbus has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.54 compared to 7.30 in Birmingham.
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 — Birmingham leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBirmingham has a high school diploma or higher of 40.7% compared to 37.3% in Columbus. Birmingham has a bachelor's degree or higher of 21.2% compared to 19.6% in Columbus.
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 204,383, about 1x the size of Birmingham (199,322).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Birmingham
Columbus
Healthcare — Birmingham leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBirmingham: 5 vs Columbus: 4 for with emergency services. Birmingham: 3.7 vs Columbus: 3.0 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 ACSBirmingham has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 0.8% in Columbus. Birmingham has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.3% in Columbus. Columbus has a work from home of 9.3% compared to 8.5% in Birmingham.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Birmingham, AL
Compare Birmingham 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.