Columbus, GA vs Fort Wayne, IN — Compare Cost of Living, Housing, Crime & More

Population

Columbus

204,383

Fort Wayne

266,235

Median Income

Columbus

$56,622

Fort Wayne

$60,293

Home Value

Columbus

$182,300

Fort Wayne

$169,700

Rent

Columbus

$1,072

Fort Wayne

$959

Crime Rate

Columbus

6.08

Fort Wayne

3.08

Cost of Living

Columbus

96.1

Fort Wayne

95.1

Avg Temp

Columbus

N/A

Fort Wayne

N/A

Unemployment

Columbus

6.5%

Fort Wayne

5.5%

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How Similar Are Columbus & Fort Wayne?

Fort Wayne is Columbus's #18 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Columbus

204,383

Fort Wayne

266,235

Different · 23% difference

Fort Wayne has a 23% larger population than Columbus.

Violent Crime

Columbus

6.08

Fort Wayne

3.08

Different · 49% difference

🚨

Columbus has a 49% higher violent crime than Fort Wayne.

Property Crime

🔒

Columbus

22.36

Fort Wayne

22.24

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 1% difference.

Political Leaning

Columbus

38.0%

Fort Wayne

55.4%

Different · 31% difference

🗳️

Columbus leans Democratic while Fort Wayne leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

Columbus

6.5%

Fort Wayne

5.5%

Different · 14% difference

Columbus has a 14% higher unemployment than Fort Wayne.

Median Income

Columbus

$56,622

Fort Wayne

$60,293

Match · 6% difference

💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Columbus

$182,300

Fort Wayne

$169,700

Match · 7% difference

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

Education

Columbus

19.6%

Fort Wayne

18.6%

Match · 5% difference

🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 5% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Columbus

39.3%

Fort Wayne

66.4%

Different · 41% difference

Fort Wayne has a 41% higher demographics than Columbus.

Cost of Living

Columbus

96.1

Fort Wayne

95.1

Match · 1% difference

💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Columbus and Fort Wayne share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

Columbus

vsof 8

Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability

Fort Wayne

Housing Market

Fort Wayne

Jobs & Economy

Fort Wayne

Crime & Safety

Fort Wayne

Weather & Climate

Tied

Schools & Education

Columbus

Healthcare

Tied

Transportation & Commute

Fort Wayne

Cost of Living & Affordability — Fort Wayne leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Fort Wayne scores 96.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 105.7 in Columbus. Columbus scores 86.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 92.2 in Fort Wayne. Columbus scores 93.3 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 96.1 in Fort Wayne.

Overall Cost Index

Columbus96.1

Fort Wayne95.1

★

Housing Index

Columbus105.7

Fort Wayne96.1

★

Food Index

Columbus93.3

★

Fort Wayne96.1

Transportation Index

Columbus86.6

★

Fort Wayne92.2

Healthcare Index

Columbus94.6

★

Fort Wayne96.9

Utilities Index

Columbus97.1

Fort Wayne96.9

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Columbus$42,291

Fort Wayne$41,837

★

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Columbus$99,960

Fort Wayne$98,887

★

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Columbus$939

Fort Wayne$916

★

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Columbus$1,088

★

Fort Wayne$1,113

Housing Market — Fort Wayne leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Fort Wayne has a vacancy rate of 6.9% compared to 11.7% in Columbus. Fort Wayne has a owner-occupied of 62.2% compared to 50.2% in Columbus. Fort Wayne has a median rent of $959 vs $1,072 in Columbus (12% lower).

Median Home Value

Columbus$182,300

★

Fort Wayne$169,700

Median Rent

Columbus$1,072

Fort Wayne$959

★

Median Property Tax

Columbus$1,526

Fort Wayne$1,460

★

Owner-Occupied

Columbus50.2%

Fort Wayne62.2%

★

Vacancy Rate

Columbus11.7%

Fort Wayne6.9%

★

Single-Family Homes

Columbus69.3%

Fort Wayne71.7%

★

Jobs & Economy — Fort Wayne leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Fort Wayne: 137,435 vs Columbus: 96,126 for labor force. Fort Wayne has a poverty rate of 15.6% compared to 18.8% in Columbus. Fort Wayne has a government sector of 45.7% compared to 36.1% in Columbus.

Median Household Income

Columbus$56,622

Fort Wayne$60,293

★

Per Capita Income

Columbus$32,811

Fort Wayne$32,884

Poverty Rate

Columbus18.8%

Fort Wayne15.6%

★

Unemployment Rate

Columbus6.5%

Fort Wayne5.5%

★

Labor Force

Columbus96,126

Fort Wayne137,435

★

Mean Commute

ColumbusN/A

Fort WayneN/A

Work from Home

Columbus9.3%

★

Fort Wayne8.2%

Private Sector

Columbus80.8%

Fort Wayne94.4%

★

Government Sector

Columbus36.1%

Fort Wayne45.7%

★

Crime & Safety — Fort Wayne leads

Source: FBI UCR

Fort Wayne has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.99 compared to 5.15 in Columbus. Columbus has a property crime clearance of 21.2% compared to 9.0% in Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 3.08 compared to 6.08 in Columbus.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Columbus6.08

Fort Wayne3.08

★

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Columbus22.36

Fort Wayne22.24

★

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Columbus0.13

Fort Wayne0.11

★

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Columbus0.51

★

Fort Wayne0.55

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Columbus5.15

Fort Wayne1.99

★

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Columbus3.54

Fort Wayne2.17

★

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Columbus16.36

★

Fort Wayne17.42

Violent Crime Clearance

Columbus37.9%

★

Fort Wayne32.6%

Property Crime Clearance

Columbus21.2%

★

Fort Wayne9.0%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ColumbusN/A

Fort WayneN/A

Avg Annual High

ColumbusN/A

Fort WayneN/A

Avg Annual Low

ColumbusN/A

Fort WayneN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ColumbusN/A

Fort WayneN/A

Annual Rainfall

ColumbusN/A

Fort WayneN/A

Annual Snowfall

ColumbusN/A

Fort WayneN/A

Avg Humidity

ColumbusN/A

Fort WayneN/A

Schools & Education — Columbus leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Columbus has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.6% compared to 18.6% in Fort Wayne.

Public Schools

Columbus0

Fort Wayne0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ColumbusN/A

Fort WayneN/A

Colleges & Universities

Columbus0

Fort Wayne0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Columbus19.6%

★

Fort Wayne18.6%

High School Diploma or Higher

Columbus37.3%

Fort Wayne37.4%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Fort Wayne has a population of 266,235, about 1.3x the size of Columbus (204,383).

Population

Columbus204,383

Fort Wayne266,235

Median Age

Columbus35

Fort Wayne35

Avg Household Size

Columbus2.5

Fort Wayne2.4

Married Population

Columbus33.7%

Fort Wayne35.4%

Foreign Born

Columbus5.3%

Fort Wayne9.0%

White

Columbus39.3%

Fort Wayne66.4%

Black

Columbus46.7%

Fort Wayne14.6%

Hispanic

Columbus8.3%

Fort Wayne10.5%

Asian

Columbus2.6%

Fort Wayne5.8%

Columbus

Fort Wayne

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Nearby Hospitals

Columbus5

Fort Wayne5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Columbus3.0

Fort Wayne3.0

With Emergency Services

Columbus4

Fort Wayne4

Transportation & Commute — Fort Wayne leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Fort Wayne has a public transit of 1.2% compared to 0.8% in Columbus. Columbus has a work from home of 9.3% compared to 8.2% in Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.3% in Columbus.

Mean Commute Time

ColumbusN/A

Fort WayneN/A

Drive Alone

Columbus76.6%

Fort Wayne78.1%

★

Public Transit

Columbus0.8%

Fort Wayne1.2%

★

Bicycle

Columbus0.3%

Fort Wayne0.3%

★

Work from Home

Columbus9.3%

★

Fort Wayne8.2%

Airports

Columbus0

Fort Wayne0

Cities Similar to Columbus, GA

Compare Columbus against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

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City Comparison

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