Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Columbus
906,480
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Columbus
$65,327
Home Value
Chicago
$315,200
Columbus
$234,500
Rent
Chicago
$1,380
Columbus
$1,224
Crime Rate
Chicago
5.40
Columbus
4.35
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Columbus
110.5
Avg Temp
Chicago
51°F
Columbus
53°F
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Columbus
5.1%
How Similar Are Chicago & Columbus?
Columbus is Chicago's #15 most similar city
0 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Chicago
2,707,648
Columbus
906,480
Chicago (2,707,648) is about 3.0x larger than Columbus (906,480).
Violent Crime
Chicago
5.40
Columbus
4.35
Chicago has a 19% higher violent crime than Columbus.
Property Crime
Chicago
34.72
Columbus
26.53
Chicago has a 24% higher property crime than Columbus.
Political Leaning
Chicago
28.4%
Columbus
35.3%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Columbus has a stronger Democratic lean (20% difference).
Unemployment
Chicago
7.9%
Columbus
5.1%
Chicago has a 36% higher unemployment than Columbus.
Median Income
Chicago
$75,134
Columbus
$65,327
Chicago has a 13% higher median income than Columbus.
Home Values
Chicago
$315,200
Columbus
$234,500
Chicago has a 26% higher home values than Columbus.
Education
Chicago
30.6%
Columbus
25.4%
Chicago has a 17% higher education than Columbus.
Demographics
Chicago
39.0%
Columbus
53.3%
Columbus has a 27% higher demographics than Chicago.
Cost of Living
Chicago
131.3
Columbus
110.5
Chicago has a 16% higher cost of living than Columbus.
Chicago and Columbus differ significantly across all measured metrics.
At a Glance
0
Chicago
0
Columbus
Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbus leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbus scores 89.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 120.0 in Chicago. Columbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,194 vs $1,581 in Chicago (32% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,430 vs $1,781 in Chicago (25% 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 median property tax of $3,165 vs $4,814 in Chicago (52% lower). Columbus has a single-family homes of 55.0% compared to 29.2% in Chicago. Chicago has a median home value of $315,200 vs $234,500 in Columbus (34% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Chicago leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago: 1,502,336 vs Columbus: 512,498 for labor force. Columbus has a unemployment rate of 5.1% compared to 7.9% in Chicago. Columbus: 18 min vs Chicago: 27 min for mean commute.
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 robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.88 compared to 3.35 in Chicago. Columbus has a violent crime clearance of 21.8% compared to 9.5% in Chicago. Chicago has a property crime clearance of 5.2% compared to 3.6% in Columbus.
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 — Columbus leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoColumbus: 8.1" vs Chicago: 10.5" for annual snowfall. Chicago: 36.2" vs Columbus: 39.4" for annual rainfall. Columbus averages 61°F, about 5°F cooler than Chicago.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Chicago leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauChicago has a bachelor's degree or higher of 30.6% compared to 25.4% in Columbus. Chicago has a high school diploma or higher of 45.7% compared to 42.1% 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 ACSChicago has a population of 2,707,648, about 3x the size of Columbus (906,480). Columbus skews younger with a median age of 33.0 vs 35.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Chicago
Columbus
Healthcare — Chicago leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareChicago: 5 vs Columbus: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Chicago leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSChicago has a public transit of 19.3% compared to 2.1% in Columbus. Chicago has a bicycle of 1.4% compared to 0.4% in Columbus. Columbus: 18 min vs Chicago: 27 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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Compare Chicago 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.