Population
Columbia
105,871
Cary
176,686
Median Income
Columbia
$129,173
Cary
$129,399
Home Value
Columbia
$480,300
Cary
$525,200
Rent
Columbia
$1,998
Cary
$1,621
Crime Rate
Columbia
N/A
Cary
0.72
Cost of Living
Columbia
185.2
Cary
184.1
Avg Temp
Columbia
N/A
Cary
N/A
Unemployment
Columbia
4.5%
Cary
3.4%
How Similar Are Columbia & Cary?
Cary is Columbia's #8 most similar city
4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Columbia
105,871
Cary
176,686
Cary has a 40% larger population than Columbia.
Political Leaning
Columbia
27.4%
Cary
36.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Cary has a stronger Democratic lean (25% difference).
Unemployment
Columbia
4.5%
Cary
3.4%
Columbia has a 25% higher unemployment than Cary.
Median Income
Columbia
$129,173
Cary
$129,399
Both cities have similar median income — just a 0% difference.
Home Values
Columbia
$480,300
Cary
$525,200
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Columbia
44.5%
Cary
48.2%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Columbia
46.0%
Cary
60.1%
Cary has a 23% higher demographics than Columbia.
Cost of Living
Columbia
185.2
Cary
184.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Columbia and Cary share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Columbia
0
Cary
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 (52% 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 (23% 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 has a poverty rate of 5.3% compared to 7.4% in Columbia. Cary: 96,944 vs Columbia: 60,493 for labor force. Cary has a unemployment rate of 3.4% compared to 4.5% 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
Columbia
Cary
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 ACSColumbia has a public transit of 2.9% compared to 0.4% in Cary. Cary has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Columbia. 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 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.