Population
Columbus
204,383
Des Moines
212,464
Median Income
Columbus
$56,622
Des Moines
$63,966
Home Value
Columbus
$182,300
Des Moines
$183,700
Rent
Columbus
$1,072
Des Moines
$1,054
Crime Rate
Columbus
6.08
Des Moines
7.05
Cost of Living
Columbus
96.1
Des Moines
104.6
Avg Temp
Columbus
N/A
Des Moines
N/A
Unemployment
Columbus
6.5%
Des Moines
5.8%
How Similar Are Columbus & Des Moines?
Des Moines is Columbus's #14 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Columbus
204,383
Des Moines
212,464
Both cities have similar populations — Columbus at 204,383 and Des Moines at 212,464.
Violent Crime
Columbus
6.08
Des Moines
7.05
Des Moines has a 14% higher violent crime than Columbus.
Property Crime
Columbus
22.36
Des Moines
31.26
Des Moines has a 28% higher property crime than Columbus.
Political Leaning
Columbus
38.0%
Des Moines
43.9%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Des Moines has a stronger Democratic lean (13% difference).
Unemployment
Columbus
6.5%
Des Moines
5.8%
Columbus has a 11% higher unemployment than Des Moines.
Median Income
Columbus
$56,622
Des Moines
$63,966
Des Moines has a 11% higher median income than Columbus.
Home Values
Columbus
$182,300
Des Moines
$183,700
Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.
Education
Columbus
19.6%
Des Moines
19.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Columbus
39.3%
Des Moines
66.9%
Des Moines has a 41% higher demographics than Columbus.
Cost of Living
Columbus
96.1
Des Moines
104.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Columbus and Des Moines share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Columbus
0
Des Moines
Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbus leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,088 vs $1,318 in Des Moines (17% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $939 vs $1,109 in Des Moines (15% lower). Columbus scores 86.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 97.8 in Des Moines.
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 — Des Moines leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus has a median property tax of $1,526 vs $3,445 in Des Moines (56% lower). Des Moines has a vacancy rate of 7.6% compared to 11.7% in Columbus. Des Moines has a owner-occupied of 60.5% compared to 50.2% in Columbus.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Des Moines leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDes Moines has a poverty rate of 14.9% compared to 18.8% in Columbus. Des Moines has a government sector of 45.0% compared to 36.1% in Columbus. Des Moines: 119,617 vs Columbus: 96,126 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Columbus leads
Source: FBI UCRDes Moines has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.13 in Columbus. Columbus has a property crime clearance of 21.2% compared to 8.1% in Des Moines. Columbus has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.51 compared to 0.75 in Des Moines.
Violent 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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauDes Moines has a high school diploma or higher of 38.5% compared to 37.3% in Columbus. Columbus has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.6% compared to 19.3% in Des Moines.
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 ACSDes Moines has a population of 212,464, about 1x the size of Columbus (204,383).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Columbus
Des Moines
Healthcare — Columbus leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColumbus: 3.0 vs Des Moines: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Des Moines leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDes Moines has a public transit of 1.1% compared to 0.8% in Columbus. Des Moines has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.3% in Columbus. Des Moines has a work from home of 11.4% compared to 9.3% in Columbus.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Columbus, GA
Compare Columbus 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.