Population

Columbia

105,871

Medford

59,062

Median Income

Columbia

$129,173

Medford

$118,089

Home Value

Columbia

$480,300

Medford

$715,500

Rent

Columbia

$1,998

Medford

$2,477

Crime Rate

Columbia

N/A

Medford

1.80

Cost of Living

Columbia

185.2

Medford

205.7

Avg Temp

Columbia

N/A

Medford

N/A

Unemployment

Columbia

4.5%

Medford

4.4%

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How Similar Are Columbia & Medford?

Medford is Columbia's #12 most similar city

5/8

5 of 8 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Columbia

105,871

vs

Medford

59,062

Different · 44% difference

Columbia has a 44% larger population than Medford.

Political Leaning

Columbia

27.4%

vs

Medford

29.0%

Match · 6% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 6% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Columbia

4.5%

vs

Medford

4.4%

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.

Median Income

Columbia

$129,173

vs

Medford

$118,089

Match · 9% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Columbia

$480,300

vs

Medford

$715,500

Different · 33% difference

Medford has a 33% higher home values than Columbia.

Education

Columbia

44.5%

vs

Medford

42.7%

Match · 4% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Columbia

46.0%

vs

Medford

69.4%

Different · 34% difference

Medford has a 34% higher demographics than Columbia.

Cost of Living

Columbia

185.2

vs

Medford

205.7

Match · 10% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 10% difference.

5 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Columbia and Medford share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Columbia

vsof 8

0

Medford

Columbia leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbia leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Columbia has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,511 vs $2,476 in Medford (39% lower). Columbia has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,857 vs $2,941 in Medford (37% lower). Columbia scores 237.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 306.5 in Medford.

Overall Cost Index

Columbia185.2
Medford205.7

Housing Index

Columbia237.0
Medford306.5

Food Index

Columbia148.7
Medford140.3

Transportation Index

Columbia138.7
Medford137.1

Healthcare Index

Columbia139.0
Medford132.2

Utilities Index

Columbia156.6
Medford165.4

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Columbia$81,506
Medford$90,510

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Columbia$192,651
Medford$213,933

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Columbia$1,511
Medford$2,476

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Columbia$1,857
Medford$2,941

Housing Market — Columbia leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbia has a single-family homes of 65.5% compared to 39.5% in Medford. Medford has a median home value of $715,500 vs $480,300 in Columbia (33% higher). Columbia has a owner-occupied of 64.9% compared to 53.1% in Medford.

Median Home Value

Columbia$480,300
Medford$715,500

Median Rent

Columbia$1,998
Medford$2,477

Median Property Tax

Columbia$5,969
Medford$6,072

Owner-Occupied

Columbia64.9%
Medford53.1%

Vacancy Rate

Columbia4.9%
Medford5.0%

Single-Family Homes

Columbia65.5%
Medford39.5%

Jobs & Economy — Columbia leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbia: 60,493 vs Medford: 37,237 for labor force. Medford has a government sector of 41.2% compared to 36.9% in Columbia. Columbia has a median household income of $129,173 vs $118,089 in Medford (9% higher).

Median Household Income

Columbia$129,173
Medford$118,089

Per Capita Income

Columbia$62,614
Medford$61,508

Poverty Rate

Columbia7.4%
Medford8.2%

Unemployment Rate

Columbia4.5%
Medford4.4%

Labor Force

Columbia60,493
Medford37,237

Mean Commute

Columbia22 min
Medford24 min

Work from Home

Columbia22.3%
Medford22.2%

Private Sector

Columbia81.8%
Medford83.7%

Government Sector

Columbia36.9%
Medford41.2%

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Medford1.80

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Medford12.00

Murder Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Medford0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Medford0.23

Assault Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Medford1.34

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Medford0.77

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

ColumbiaN/A
Medford10.07

Violent Crime Clearance

ColumbiaN/A
Medford68.2%

Property Crime Clearance

ColumbiaN/A
Medford19.4%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ColumbiaN/A
MedfordN/A

Avg Annual High

ColumbiaN/A
MedfordN/A

Avg Annual Low

ColumbiaN/A
MedfordN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ColumbiaN/A
MedfordN/A

Annual Rainfall

ColumbiaN/A
MedfordN/A

Annual Snowfall

ColumbiaN/A
MedfordN/A

Avg Humidity

ColumbiaN/A
MedfordN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Medford has a high school diploma or higher of 56.5% compared to 52.8% in Columbia. Columbia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 44.5% compared to 42.7% in Medford.

Public Schools

Columbia0
Medford0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ColumbiaN/A
MedfordN/A

Colleges & Universities

Columbia0
Medford0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Columbia44.5%
Medford42.7%

High School Diploma or Higher

Columbia52.8%
Medford56.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbia has a population of 105,871, about 1.8x the size of Medford (59,062). Medford skews younger with a median age of 36.1 vs 39.1.

Population

Columbia105,871
Medford59,062

Median Age

Columbia39
Medford36

Avg Household Size

Columbia2.6
Medford2.3

Married Population

Columbia41.1%
Medford37.5%

Foreign Born

Columbia20.8%
Medford24.2%

White

Columbia46.0%
Medford69.4%

Black

Columbia29.0%
Medford6.5%

Hispanic

Columbia9.4%
Medford8.9%

Asian

Columbia11.8%
Medford12.0%

Columbia

Medford

Healthcare — Medford leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Medford: 4 vs Columbia: 3 for with emergency services. Medford: 3.3 vs Columbia: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Columbia5
Medford5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Columbia2.7
Medford3.3

With Emergency Services

Columbia3
Medford4

Transportation & Commute — Columbia leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Medford has a bicycle of 1.9% compared to 0.1% in Columbia. Medford has a public transit of 14.1% compared to 2.9% in Columbia. Columbia has a drive alone of 66.3% compared to 50.1% in Medford.

Mean Commute Time

Columbia22 min
Medford24 min

Drive Alone

Columbia66.3%
Medford50.1%

Public Transit

Columbia2.9%
Medford14.1%

Bicycle

Columbia0.1%
Medford1.9%

Work from Home

Columbia22.3%
Medford22.2%

Airports

Columbia0
Medford0

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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