Population
Clearwater
117,075
Columbia
127,200
Median Income
Clearwater
$64,440
Columbia
$64,488
Home Value
Clearwater
$326,100
Columbia
$268,300
Rent
Clearwater
$1,539
Columbia
$1,067
Crime Rate
Clearwater
3.40
Columbia
3.49
Cost of Living
Clearwater
122.8
Columbia
108.5
Avg Temp
Clearwater
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Unemployment
Clearwater
4.7%
Columbia
3.9%
How Similar Are Clearwater & Columbia?
Columbia is Clearwater's #25 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Clearwater
117,075
Columbia
127,200
Both cities have similar populations — Clearwater at 117,075 and Columbia at 127,200.
Violent Crime
Clearwater
3.40
Columbia
3.49
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.
Property Crime
Clearwater
18.33
Columbia
23.18
Columbia has a 21% higher property crime than Clearwater.
Political Leaning
Clearwater
52.1%
Columbia
44.1%
Clearwater leans Republican while Columbia leans Democratic.
Unemployment
Clearwater
4.7%
Columbia
3.9%
Clearwater has a 17% higher unemployment than Columbia.
Median Income
Clearwater
$64,440
Columbia
$64,488
Both cities have similar median income — just a 0% difference.
Home Values
Clearwater
$326,100
Columbia
$268,300
Clearwater has a 18% higher home values than Columbia.
Education
Clearwater
24.7%
Columbia
32.1%
Columbia has a 23% higher education than Clearwater.
Demographics
Clearwater
70.3%
Columbia
74.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Clearwater
122.8
Columbia
108.5
Clearwater has a 12% higher cost of living than Columbia.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Clearwater and Columbia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Clearwater
0
Columbia
Clearwater leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbia leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbia has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,160 vs $1,977 in Clearwater (70% lower). Columbia has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,011 vs $1,696 in Clearwater (68% lower). Columbia scores 124.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 163.4 in Clearwater.
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 ACSColumbia has a vacancy rate of 7.3% compared to 18.3% in Clearwater. Columbia has a median rent of $1,067 vs $1,539 in Clearwater (44% lower). Columbia has a single-family homes of 58.8% compared to 44.9% in Clearwater.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Clearwater leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSClearwater has a work from home of 19.9% compared to 9.6% in Columbia. Clearwater has a poverty rate of 15.4% compared to 20.0% in Columbia. Columbia has a unemployment rate of 3.9% compared to 4.7% in Clearwater.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Clearwater leads
Source: FBI UCRColumbia has a violent crime clearance of 49.7% compared to 3.8% in Clearwater. Clearwater has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.10 in Columbia. Clearwater has a property crime clearance of 20.8% compared to 12.6% in Columbia.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColumbia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.1% compared to 24.7% in Clearwater. Clearwater has a high school diploma or higher of 46.9% compared to 41.7% 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 ACSColumbia has a population of 127,200, about 1.1x the size of Clearwater (117,075). Columbia skews younger with a median age of 29.2 vs 46.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Clearwater
Columbia
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareClearwater: 4 vs Columbia: 3 for with emergency services. Columbia: 3.7 vs Clearwater: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Clearwater leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSClearwater has a public transit of 2.8% compared to 1.2% in Columbia. Clearwater has a work from home of 19.9% compared to 9.6% in Columbia. Columbia has a drive alone of 74.1% compared to 64.5% in Clearwater.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Clearwater, FL
Compare Clearwater 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.