Population
Columbus
906,480
Houston
2,300,419
Median Income
Columbus
$65,327
Houston
$62,894
Home Value
Columbus
$234,500
Houston
$253,400
Rent
Columbus
$1,224
Houston
$1,313
Crime Rate
Columbus
4.35
Houston
11.48
Cost of Living
Columbus
110.5
Houston
116.4
Avg Temp
Columbus
53°F
Houston
70°F
Unemployment
Columbus
5.1%
Houston
6.7%
How Similar Are Columbus & Houston?
Houston is Columbus's #25 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Columbus
906,480
Houston
2,300,419
Houston (2,300,419) is about 2.5x larger than Columbus (906,480).
Violent Crime
Columbus
4.35
Houston
11.48
Houston's violent crime is significantly higher than Columbus's — 62% difference.
Property Crime
Columbus
26.53
Houston
42.93
Houston has a 38% higher property crime than Columbus.
Political Leaning
Columbus
35.3%
Houston
46.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Houston has a stronger Democratic lean (24% difference).
Unemployment
Columbus
5.1%
Houston
6.7%
Houston has a 24% higher unemployment than Columbus.
Median Income
Columbus
$65,327
Houston
$62,894
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Columbus
$234,500
Houston
$253,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 7% difference.
Education
Columbus
25.4%
Houston
23.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Columbus
53.3%
Houston
35.5%
Columbus has a 33% higher demographics than Houston.
Cost of Living
Columbus
110.5
Houston
116.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Columbus and Houston share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Columbus
0
Houston
Columbus leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbus leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbus scores 89.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 103.6 in Houston. Columbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,194 vs $1,323 in Houston (10% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,430 vs $1,573 in Houston (9% lower).
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 — Columbus leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus has a vacancy rate of 8.0% compared to 10.4% in Houston. Columbus has a median property tax of $3,165 vs $4,003 in Houston (21% lower). Columbus has a single-family homes of 55.0% compared to 47.9% in Houston.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Columbus leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHouston: 1,219,957 vs Columbus: 512,498 for labor force. Columbus has a work from home of 16.1% compared to 11.7% in Houston. Columbus has a unemployment rate of 5.1% compared to 6.7% in Houston.
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 UCRColumbus has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.11 compared to 7.87 in Houston. Columbus has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.88 compared to 2.74 in Houston. Columbus has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 4.35 compared to 11.48 in Houston.
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 — Houston leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoHouston averages 62°F, about 17°F cooler than Columbus. Houston averages 70°F, about 17°F cooler than Columbus. Columbus: 39.4" vs Houston: 50.4" for annual rainfall.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Columbus leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColumbus has a high school diploma or higher of 42.1% compared to 38.3% in Houston. Columbus has a bachelor's degree or higher of 25.4% compared to 23.9% in Houston.
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 ACSHouston has a population of 2,300,419, about 2.5x the size of Columbus (906,480). Columbus skews younger with a median age of 33.0 vs 34.3.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Columbus
Houston
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareNearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus has a work from home of 16.1% compared to 11.7% in Houston. Houston has a public transit of 3.3% compared to 2.1% in Columbus. Columbus: 18 min vs Houston: 24 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Columbus, OH
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.