Population

Columbia

105,871

Apex

67,765

Median Income

Columbia

$129,173

Apex

$138,442

Home Value

Columbia

$480,300

Apex

$514,800

Rent

Columbia

$1,998

Apex

$1,784

Crime Rate

Columbia

N/A

Apex

0.53

Cost of Living

Columbia

185.2

Apex

193.1

Avg Temp

Columbia

N/A

Apex

N/A

Unemployment

Columbia

4.5%

Apex

3.8%

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How Similar Are Columbia & Apex?

Apex is Columbia's #7 most similar city

4/8

4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Columbia

105,871

vs

Apex

67,765

Different · 36% difference

Columbia has a 36% larger population than Apex.

Political Leaning

Columbia

27.4%

vs

Apex

36.4%

Different · 25% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Apex has a stronger Democratic lean (25% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Columbia

4.5%

vs

Apex

3.8%

Different · 14% difference

Columbia has a 14% higher unemployment than Apex.

Median Income

Columbia

$129,173

vs

Apex

$138,442

Match · 7% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Columbia

$480,300

vs

Apex

$514,800

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 7% difference.

Education

Columbia

44.5%

vs

Apex

43.3%

Match · 3% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Columbia

46.0%

vs

Apex

65.7%

Different · 30% difference

Apex has a 30% higher demographics than Columbia.

Cost of Living

Columbia

185.2

vs

Apex

193.1

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Columbia and Apex share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Columbia

vsof 8

0

Apex

Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbia leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Columbia scores 138.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 211.6 in Apex. Apex scores 217.3 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 237.0 in Columbia. Apex has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,750 vs $1,857 in Columbia (6% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Columbia185.2
Apex193.1

Housing Index

Columbia237.0
Apex217.3

Food Index

Columbia148.7
Apex155.8

Transportation Index

Columbia138.7
Apex211.6

Healthcare Index

Columbia139.0
Apex144.7

Utilities Index

Columbia156.6
Apex156.9

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Columbia$81,506
Apex$84,950

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Columbia$192,651
Apex$200,792

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Columbia$1,511
Apex$1,596

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Columbia$1,857
Apex$1,750

Housing Market — Apex leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Apex has a median property tax of $3,750 vs $5,969 in Columbia (59% lower). Apex has a single-family homes of 82.5% compared to 65.5% in Columbia. Apex has a owner-occupied of 75.3% compared to 64.9% in Columbia.

Median Home Value

Columbia$480,300
Apex$514,800

Median Rent

Columbia$1,998
Apex$1,784

Median Property Tax

Columbia$5,969
Apex$3,750

Owner-Occupied

Columbia64.9%
Apex75.3%

Vacancy Rate

Columbia4.9%
Apex5.1%

Single-Family Homes

Columbia65.5%
Apex82.5%

Jobs & Economy — Apex leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Apex has a poverty rate of 2.6% compared to 7.4% in Columbia. Columbia: 60,493 vs Apex: 36,876 for labor force. Apex has a work from home of 32.5% compared to 22.3% in Columbia.

Median Household Income

Columbia$129,173
Apex$138,442

Per Capita Income

Columbia$62,614
Apex$59,517

Poverty Rate

Columbia7.4%
Apex2.6%

Unemployment Rate

Columbia4.5%
Apex3.8%

Labor Force

Columbia60,493
Apex36,876

Mean Commute

Columbia22 min
ApexN/A

Work from Home

Columbia22.3%
Apex32.5%

Private Sector

Columbia81.8%
Apex93.7%

Government Sector

Columbia36.9%
Apex45.3%

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Apex0.53

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Apex9.07

Murder Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Apex0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Apex0.07

Assault Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Apex0.31

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Apex1.01

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Apex7.34

Violent Crime Clearance

ColumbiaN/A
Apex48.7%

Property Crime Clearance

ColumbiaN/A
Apex20.4%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ColumbiaN/A
ApexN/A

Avg Annual High

ColumbiaN/A
ApexN/A

Avg Annual Low

ColumbiaN/A
ApexN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ColumbiaN/A
ApexN/A

Annual Rainfall

ColumbiaN/A
ApexN/A

Annual Snowfall

ColumbiaN/A
ApexN/A

Avg Humidity

ColumbiaN/A
ApexN/A

Schools & Education — Columbia leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Columbia has a high school diploma or higher of 52.8% compared to 49.3% in Apex. Columbia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 44.5% compared to 43.3% in Apex.

Public Schools

Columbia0
Apex0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ColumbiaN/A
ApexN/A

Colleges & Universities

Columbia0
Apex0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Columbia44.5%
Apex43.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

Columbia52.8%
Apex49.3%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbia has a population of 105,871, about 1.6x the size of Apex (67,765). Apex skews younger with a median age of 36.0 vs 39.1.

Population

Columbia105,871
Apex67,765

Median Age

Columbia39
Apex36

Avg Household Size

Columbia2.6
Apex2.8

Married Population

Columbia41.1%
Apex48.2%

Foreign Born

Columbia20.8%
Apex17.3%

White

Columbia46.0%
Apex65.7%

Black

Columbia29.0%
Apex8.3%

Hispanic

Columbia9.4%
Apex7.1%

Asian

Columbia11.8%
Apex16.5%

Columbia

Apex

Healthcare — Apex leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Apex: 4.7 vs Columbia: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Columbia5
Apex5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Columbia2.7
Apex4.7

With Emergency Services

Columbia3
Apex3

Transportation & Commute — Columbia leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbia has a public transit of 2.9% compared to 0.1% in Apex. Apex has a work from home of 32.5% compared to 22.3% in Columbia. Columbia has a drive alone of 66.3% compared to 58.5% in Apex.

Mean Commute Time

Columbia22 min
ApexN/A

Drive Alone

Columbia66.3%
Apex58.5%

Public Transit

Columbia2.9%
Apex0.1%

Bicycle

Columbia0.1%
Apex0.0%

Work from Home

Columbia22.3%
Apex32.5%

Airports

Columbia0
Apex0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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