Population

Columbus

204,383

Roanoke

98,677

Median Income

Columbus

$56,622

Roanoke

$52,671

Home Value

Columbus

$182,300

Roanoke

$180,500

Rent

Columbus

$1,072

Roanoke

$964

Crime Rate

Columbus

6.08

Roanoke

6.20

Cost of Living

Columbus

96.1

Roanoke

91.4

Avg Temp

Columbus

N/A

Roanoke

N/A

Unemployment

Columbus

6.5%

Roanoke

5.5%

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How Similar Are Columbus & Roanoke?

Roanoke is Columbus's #7 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Columbus

204,383

vs

Roanoke

98,677

Different · 52% difference

Columbus (204,383) is about 2.1x larger than Roanoke (98,677).

Violent Crime

Columbus

6.08

vs

Roanoke

6.20

Match · 2% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Columbus

22.36

vs

Roanoke

40.56

Different · 45% difference

Roanoke has a 45% higher property crime than Columbus.

Political Leaning

Columbus

38.0%

vs

Roanoke

37.5%

Match · 1% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Columbus

6.5%

vs

Roanoke

5.5%

Different · 15% difference

Columbus has a 15% higher unemployment than Roanoke.

Median Income

Columbus

$56,622

vs

Roanoke

$52,671

Match · 7% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Columbus

$182,300

vs

Roanoke

$180,500

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.

Education

Columbus

19.6%

vs

Roanoke

20.2%

Match · 3% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Columbus

39.3%

vs

Roanoke

57.5%

Different · 32% difference

Roanoke has a 32% higher demographics than Columbus.

Cost of Living

Columbus

96.1

vs

Roanoke

91.4

Match · 5% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.

6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Columbus and Roanoke share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Columbus

vsof 8

0

Roanoke

Roanoke leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Roanoke leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Columbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,088 vs $1,254 in Roanoke (13% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $939 vs $1,053 in Roanoke (11% lower). Roanoke scores 80.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 86.6 in Columbus.

Overall Cost Index

Columbus96.1
Roanoke91.4

Housing Index

Columbus105.7
Roanoke100.2

Food Index

Columbus93.3
Roanoke90.3

Transportation Index

Columbus86.6
Roanoke80.5

Healthcare Index

Columbus94.6
Roanoke92.2

Utilities Index

Columbus97.1
Roanoke94.2

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Columbus$42,291
Roanoke$40,220

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Columbus$99,960
Roanoke$95,065

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Columbus$939
Roanoke$1,053

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Columbus$1,088
Roanoke$1,254

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus has a median property tax of $1,526 vs $1,828 in Roanoke (17% lower). Roanoke has a median rent of $964 vs $1,072 in Columbus (11% lower). Columbus has a single-family homes of 69.3% compared to 64.8% in Roanoke.

Median Home Value

Columbus$182,300
Roanoke$180,500

Median Rent

Columbus$1,072
Roanoke$964

Median Property Tax

Columbus$1,526
Roanoke$1,828

Owner-Occupied

Columbus50.2%
Roanoke51.7%

Vacancy Rate

Columbus11.7%
Roanoke11.2%

Single-Family Homes

Columbus69.3%
Roanoke64.8%

Jobs & Economy — Roanoke leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus: 96,126 vs Roanoke: 49,076 for labor force. Roanoke has a unemployment rate of 5.5% compared to 6.5% in Columbus. Roanoke has a government sector of 42.5% compared to 36.1% in Columbus.

Median Household Income

Columbus$56,622
Roanoke$52,671

Per Capita Income

Columbus$32,811
Roanoke$34,792

Poverty Rate

Columbus18.8%
Roanoke19.7%

Unemployment Rate

Columbus6.5%
Roanoke5.5%

Labor Force

Columbus96,126
Roanoke49,076

Mean Commute

ColumbusN/A
RoanokeN/A

Work from Home

Columbus9.3%
Roanoke10.7%

Private Sector

Columbus80.8%
Roanoke88.1%

Government Sector

Columbus36.1%
Roanoke42.5%

Crime & Safety — Columbus leads

Source: FBI UCR

Columbus has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 16.36 compared to 32.73 in Roanoke. Columbus has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.51 compared to 0.93 in Roanoke. Columbus has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 22.36 compared to 40.56 in Roanoke.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Columbus6.08
Roanoke6.20

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Columbus22.36
Roanoke40.56

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Columbus0.13
Roanoke0.11

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Columbus0.51
Roanoke0.93

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Columbus5.15
Roanoke4.30

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Columbus3.54
Roanoke3.88

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Columbus16.36
Roanoke32.73

Violent Crime Clearance

Columbus37.9%
Roanoke58.5%

Property Crime Clearance

Columbus21.2%
Roanoke18.3%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

ColumbusN/A
RoanokeN/A

Avg Annual High

ColumbusN/A
RoanokeN/A

Avg Annual Low

ColumbusN/A
RoanokeN/A

Sunny Days per Year

ColumbusN/A
RoanokeN/A

Annual Rainfall

ColumbusN/A
RoanokeN/A

Annual Snowfall

ColumbusN/A
RoanokeN/A

Avg Humidity

ColumbusN/A
RoanokeN/A

Schools & Education — Roanoke leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Roanoke has a high school diploma or higher of 44.0% compared to 37.3% in Columbus. Roanoke has a bachelor's degree or higher of 20.2% compared to 19.6% in Columbus.

Public Schools

Columbus0
Roanoke0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

ColumbusN/A
RoanokeN/A

Colleges & Universities

Columbus0
Roanoke0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Columbus19.6%
Roanoke20.2%

High School Diploma or Higher

Columbus37.3%
Roanoke44.0%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus has a population of 204,383, about 2.1x the size of Roanoke (98,677). Columbus skews younger with a median age of 35.1 vs 38.0.

Population

Columbus204,383
Roanoke98,677

Median Age

Columbus35
Roanoke38

Avg Household Size

Columbus2.5
Roanoke2.2

Married Population

Columbus33.7%
Roanoke30.1%

Foreign Born

Columbus5.3%
Roanoke7.5%

White

Columbus39.3%
Roanoke57.5%

Black

Columbus46.7%
Roanoke29.0%

Hispanic

Columbus8.3%
Roanoke8.6%

Asian

Columbus2.6%
Roanoke3.1%

Columbus

Roanoke

Healthcare — Roanoke leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Roanoke: 3.8 vs Columbus: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Roanoke: 5 vs Columbus: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Columbus5
Roanoke5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Columbus3.0
Roanoke3.8

With Emergency Services

Columbus4
Roanoke5

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus has a bicycle of 0.3% compared to 0.2% in Roanoke. Roanoke has a public transit of 2.4% compared to 0.8% in Columbus. Roanoke has a work from home of 10.7% compared to 9.3% in Columbus.

Mean Commute Time

ColumbusN/A
RoanokeN/A

Drive Alone

Columbus76.6%
Roanoke76.2%

Public Transit

Columbus0.8%
Roanoke2.4%

Bicycle

Columbus0.3%
Roanoke0.2%

Work from Home

Columbus9.3%
Roanoke10.7%

Airports

Columbus0
Roanoke0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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