Population
Cary
176,686
Columbia
105,871
Median Income
Cary
$129,399
Columbia
$129,173
Home Value
Cary
$525,200
Columbia
$480,300
Rent
Cary
$1,621
Columbia
$1,998
Crime Rate
Cary
0.72
Columbia
N/A
Cost of Living
Cary
184.1
Columbia
185.2
Avg Temp
Cary
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Unemployment
Cary
3.4%
Columbia
4.5%
How Similar Are Cary & Columbia?
Columbia is Cary's #6 most similar city
4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Cary
176,686
Columbia
105,871
Cary has a 40% larger population than Columbia.
Political Leaning
Cary
36.4%
Columbia
27.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Cary has a stronger Democratic lean (25% difference).
Unemployment
Cary
3.4%
Columbia
4.5%
Columbia has a 25% higher unemployment than Cary.
Median Income
Cary
$129,399
Columbia
$129,173
Both cities have similar median income — just a 0% difference.
Home Values
Cary
$525,200
Columbia
$480,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Cary
48.2%
Columbia
44.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Cary
60.1%
Columbia
46.0%
Cary has a 23% higher demographics than Columbia.
Cost of Living
Cary
184.1
Columbia
185.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Cary and Columbia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Cary
0
Columbia
Cary leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Cary leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbia scores 138.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 197.8 in Cary. Cary scores 209.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 237.0 in Columbia. Cary has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,750 vs $1,857 in Columbia (6% 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 — Cary leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCary has a median property tax of $3,922 vs $5,969 in Columbia (34% lower). Columbia has a vacancy rate of 4.9% compared to 6.4% in Cary. Cary has a median rent of $1,621 vs $1,998 in Columbia (19% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Cary leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCary: 96,944 vs Columbia: 60,493 for labor force. Cary has a work from home of 32.4% compared to 22.3% in Columbia. Cary has a government sector of 48.3% compared to 36.9% in Columbia.
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 — Cary leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauCary has a bachelor's degree or higher of 48.2% compared to 44.5% in Columbia. Cary has a high school diploma or higher of 53.7% compared to 52.8% 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 ACSCary has a population of 176,686, about 1.7x the size of Columbia (105,871).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Cary
Columbia
Healthcare — Cary leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareCary: 4.7 vs Columbia: 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 ACSCary has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Columbia. Columbia has a public transit of 2.9% compared to 0.4% in Cary. Cary has a work from home of 32.4% compared to 22.3% in Columbia.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Cary, NC
Compare Cary 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.