Population
Columbus
906,480
Philadelphia
1,582,432
Median Income
Columbus
$65,327
Philadelphia
$60,698
Home Value
Columbus
$234,500
Philadelphia
$232,400
Rent
Columbus
$1,224
Philadelphia
$1,323
Crime Rate
Columbus
4.35
Philadelphia
9.10
Cost of Living
Columbus
110.5
Philadelphia
111.1
Avg Temp
Columbus
53°F
Philadelphia
55°F
Unemployment
Columbus
5.1%
Philadelphia
8.4%
How Similar Are Columbus & Philadelphia?
Philadelphia is Columbus's #24 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Columbus
906,480
Philadelphia
1,582,432
Philadelphia has a 43% larger population than Columbus.
Violent Crime
Columbus
4.35
Philadelphia
9.10
Philadelphia's violent crime is significantly higher than Columbus's — 52% difference.
Property Crime
Columbus
26.53
Philadelphia
45.48
Philadelphia has a 42% higher property crime than Columbus.
Political Leaning
Columbus
35.3%
Philadelphia
20.0%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Columbus has a stronger Democratic lean (43% difference).
Unemployment
Columbus
5.1%
Philadelphia
8.4%
Philadelphia has a 40% higher unemployment than Columbus.
Median Income
Columbus
$65,327
Philadelphia
$60,698
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Columbus
$234,500
Philadelphia
$232,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.
Education
Columbus
25.4%
Philadelphia
23.8%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Columbus
53.3%
Philadelphia
36.1%
Columbus has a 32% higher demographics than Philadelphia.
Cost of Living
Columbus
110.5
Philadelphia
111.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Columbus and Philadelphia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Columbus
0
Philadelphia
Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbus leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,194 vs $1,520 in Philadelphia (21% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,430 vs $1,810 in Philadelphia (21% lower). Columbus scores 89.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 109.5 in Philadelphia.
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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPhiladelphia has a median property tax of $1,952 vs $3,165 in Columbus (62% lower). Columbus has a vacancy rate of 8.0% compared to 9.5% in Philadelphia. Philadelphia has a owner-occupied of 52.3% compared to 44.3% in Columbus.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Columbus leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus has a unemployment rate of 5.1% compared to 8.4% in Philadelphia. Philadelphia: 810,038 vs Columbus: 512,498 for labor force. Columbus: 18 min vs Philadelphia: 27 min for mean commute.
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 robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.88 compared to 2.73 in Philadelphia. Columbus has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.11 compared to 5.72 in Philadelphia. Philadelphia has a property crime clearance of 9.0% compared to 3.6% in Columbus.
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 — Philadelphia leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoPhiladelphia gets 22 more sunny days per year than Columbus. Philadelphia averages 47°F, about 3°F cooler than Columbus. Columbus: 39.4" vs Philadelphia: 41.1" for annual rainfall.
Avg 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 BureauColumbus has a bachelor's degree or higher of 25.4% compared to 23.8% in Philadelphia. Philadelphia has a high school diploma or higher of 44.4% compared to 42.1% in Columbus.
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 ACSPhiladelphia has a population of 1,582,432, about 1.7x the size of Columbus (906,480). Columbus skews younger with a median age of 33.0 vs 35.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Columbus
Philadelphia
Healthcare — Philadelphia leads
Source: CMS Hospital ComparePhiladelphia: 4.3 vs Columbus: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Philadelphia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPhiladelphia has a public transit of 17.9% compared to 2.1% in Columbus. Philadelphia has a bicycle of 1.9% compared to 0.4% in Columbus. Columbus has a drive alone of 70.1% compared to 46.6% in Philadelphia.
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.