Population
Columbia
105,871
Allen
107,684
Median Income
Columbia
$129,173
Allen
$129,130
Home Value
Columbia
$480,300
Allen
$429,900
Rent
Columbia
$1,998
Allen
$1,877
Crime Rate
Columbia
N/A
Allen
1.07
Cost of Living
Columbia
185.2
Allen
191.6
Avg Temp
Columbia
N/A
Allen
N/A
Unemployment
Columbia
4.5%
Allen
4.3%
How Similar Are Columbia & Allen?
Allen is Columbia's #17 most similar city
4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Columbia
105,871
Allen
107,684
Both cities have similar populations — Columbia at 105,871 and Allen at 107,684.
Political Leaning
Columbia
27.4%
Allen
54.3%
Columbia leans Democratic while Allen leans Republican.
Unemployment
Columbia
4.5%
Allen
4.3%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 4% difference.
Median Income
Columbia
$129,173
Allen
$129,130
Both cities have similar median income — just a 0% difference.
Home Values
Columbia
$480,300
Allen
$429,900
Columbia has a 10% higher home values than Allen.
Education
Columbia
44.5%
Allen
36.9%
Columbia has a 17% higher education than Allen.
Demographics
Columbia
46.0%
Allen
55.7%
Allen has a 17% higher demographics than Columbia.
Cost of Living
Columbia
185.2
Allen
191.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Columbia and Allen share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Columbia
0
Allen
Allen leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbia leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbia scores 138.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 197.4 in Allen. Columbia has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,511 vs $1,648 in Allen (8% lower). Columbia has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,857 vs $1,931 in Allen.
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 — Allen leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia has a median property tax of $5,969 vs $7,721 in Allen (23% lower). Allen has a single-family homes of 77.2% compared to 65.5% in Columbia. Allen has a vacancy rate of 4.3% compared to 4.9% in Columbia.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Allen leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAllen has a poverty rate of 4.8% compared to 7.4% in Columbia. Allen has a government sector of 48.6% compared to 36.9% in Columbia. Columbia has a per capita income of $62,614 vs $54,853 in Allen (14% higher).
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 bachelor's degree or higher of 44.5% compared to 36.9% in Allen. Columbia has a high school diploma or higher of 52.8% compared to 45.4% in Allen.
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 ACSAllen has a population of 107,684, about 1x the size of Columbia (105,871).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Columbia
Allen
Healthcare — Allen leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAllen: 5 vs Columbia: 3 for with emergency services. Allen: 3.8 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 ACSColumbia has a public transit of 2.9% compared to 0.7% in Allen. Columbia has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Allen. Allen has a work from home of 24.8% compared to 22.3% in Columbia.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Columbia, MD
Compare Columbia 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.