Population
Boulder
106,274
Columbia
105,871
Median Income
Boulder
$85,364
Columbia
$129,173
Home Value
Boulder
$982,600
Columbia
$480,300
Rent
Boulder
$1,924
Columbia
$1,998
Crime Rate
Boulder
3.22
Columbia
N/A
Cost of Living
Boulder
191.3
Columbia
185.2
Avg Temp
Boulder
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Unemployment
Boulder
6.1%
Columbia
4.5%
How Similar Are Boulder & Columbia?
Columbia is Boulder's #20 most similar city
3 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Boulder
106,274
Columbia
105,871
Both cities have similar populations — Boulder at 106,274 and Columbia at 105,871.
Political Leaning
Boulder
20.8%
Columbia
27.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Columbia has a stronger Democratic lean (24% difference).
Unemployment
Boulder
6.1%
Columbia
4.5%
Boulder has a 26% higher unemployment than Columbia.
Median Income
Boulder
$85,364
Columbia
$129,173
Columbia has a 34% higher median income than Boulder.
Home Values
Boulder
$982,600
Columbia
$480,300
Boulder's home values is significantly higher than Columbia's — 51% difference.
Education
Boulder
44.0%
Columbia
44.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.
Demographics
Boulder
81.8%
Columbia
46.0%
Boulder has a 44% higher demographics than Columbia.
Cost of Living
Boulder
191.3
Columbia
185.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
3 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Boulder and Columbia differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Boulder
0
Columbia
Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbia leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbia scores 237.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 310.2 in Boulder. Boulder scores 115.2 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 148.7 in Columbia. Boulder scores 112.2 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 139.0 in Columbia.
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 ACSBoulder has a median home value of $982,600 vs $480,300 in Columbia (105% higher). Columbia has a vacancy rate of 4.9% compared to 6.3% in Boulder. Columbia has a single-family homes of 65.5% compared to 47.0% in Boulder.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia has a poverty rate of 7.4% compared to 21.8% in Boulder. Boulder has a work from home of 31.6% compared to 22.3% in Columbia. Columbia has a unemployment rate of 4.5% compared to 6.1% in Boulder.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent 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 — Columbia leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColumbia has a high school diploma or higher of 52.8% compared to 47.6% in Boulder. Columbia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 44.5% compared to 44.0% in Boulder.
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 ACSBoulder has a population of 106,274, about 1x the size of Columbia (105,871). Boulder skews younger with a median age of 28.8 vs 39.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Boulder
Columbia
Healthcare — Boulder leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBoulder: 4.3 vs Columbia: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Boulder: 4 vs Columbia: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Boulder leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBoulder has a bicycle of 7.6% compared to 0.1% in Columbia. Boulder has a public transit of 5.9% compared to 2.9% in Columbia. Boulder has a work from home of 31.6% compared to 22.3% in Columbia.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Boulder, CO
Compare Boulder 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.