Population
Columbia
105,871
Wake Forest
51,199
Median Income
Columbia
$129,173
Wake Forest
$120,777
Home Value
Columbia
$480,300
Wake Forest
$435,000
Rent
Columbia
$1,998
Wake Forest
$1,458
Crime Rate
Columbia
N/A
Wake Forest
1.47
Cost of Living
Columbia
185.2
Wake Forest
168.4
Avg Temp
Columbia
N/A
Wake Forest
N/A
Unemployment
Columbia
4.5%
Wake Forest
4.5%
How Similar Are Columbia & Wake Forest?
Wake Forest is Columbia's #11 most similar city
4 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Columbia
105,871
Wake Forest
51,199
Columbia (105,871) is about 2.1x larger than Wake Forest (51,199).
Political Leaning
Columbia
27.4%
Wake Forest
36.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Wake Forest has a stronger Democratic lean (25% difference).
Unemployment
Columbia
4.5%
Wake Forest
4.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.
Median Income
Columbia
$129,173
Wake Forest
$120,777
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Columbia
$480,300
Wake Forest
$435,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Columbia
44.5%
Wake Forest
38.4%
Columbia has a 14% higher education than Wake Forest.
Demographics
Columbia
46.0%
Wake Forest
67.3%
Wake Forest has a 32% higher demographics than Columbia.
Cost of Living
Columbia
185.2
Wake Forest
168.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
4 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Columbia and Wake Forest share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Columbia
0
Wake Forest
Wake Forest leads in 2 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Wake Forest leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDWake Forest scores 183.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 237.0 in Columbia. Columbia scores 138.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 184.6 in Wake Forest. Wake Forest scores 142.0 on the utilities index (100 = national avg) vs 156.6 in Columbia.
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 — Wake Forest leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWake Forest has a median property tax of $3,626 vs $5,969 in Columbia (65% lower). Wake Forest has a median rent of $1,458 vs $1,998 in Columbia (37% lower). Wake Forest has a single-family homes of 79.0% compared to 65.5% in Columbia.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWake Forest has a poverty rate of 3.0% compared to 7.4% in Columbia. Columbia: 60,493 vs Wake Forest: 26,822 for labor force. Columbia has a per capita income of $62,614 vs $49,241 in Wake Forest (27% 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 38.4% in Wake Forest. Columbia has a high school diploma or higher of 52.8% compared to 47.2% in Wake Forest.
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 105,871, about 2.1x the size of Wake Forest (51,199).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Columbia
Wake Forest
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColumbia: 3 vs Wake Forest: 2 for with emergency services. Wake Forest: 4.5 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 0.1% in Wake Forest. Wake Forest has a work from home of 25.1% compared to 22.3% in Columbia. Wake Forest has a drive alone of 68.5% compared to 66.3% 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.