East Chicago, IN vs Columbus, MS — Compare Cost of Living, Housing, Crime & More

Population

East Chicago

26,158

Columbus

23,616

Median Income

East Chicago

$41,071

Columbus

$40,588

Home Value

East Chicago

$92,400

Columbus

$121,200

Rent

East Chicago

$820

Columbus

$882

Crime Rate

East Chicago

8.26

Columbus

N/A

Cost of Living

East Chicago

73.1

Columbus

76.4

Avg Temp

East Chicago

N/A

Columbus

N/A

Unemployment

East Chicago

7.9%

Columbus

9.3%

Loading map…

How Similar Are East Chicago & Columbus?

Columbus is East Chicago's #14 most similar city

3/8

3 of 8 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

East Chicago

26,158

Columbus

23,616

Match · 10% difference

Both cities have similar populations — East Chicago at 26,158 and Columbus at 23,616.

Political Leaning

East Chicago

46.5%

Columbus

53.6%

Different · 13% difference

🗳️

East Chicago leans Democratic while Columbus leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

East Chicago

7.9%

Columbus

9.3%

Different · 15% difference

Columbus has a 15% higher unemployment than East Chicago.

Median Income

East Chicago

$41,071

Columbus

$40,588

Match · 1% difference

💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.

Home Values

🏠

East Chicago

$92,400

Columbus

$121,200

Different · 24% difference

Columbus has a 24% higher home values than East Chicago.

Education

East Chicago

6.5%

Columbus

17.6%

Different · 63% difference

🎓

Columbus's education is significantly higher than East Chicago's — 63% difference.

Demographics

🌍

East Chicago

16.1%

Columbus

31.7%

Different · 49% difference

Columbus has a 49% higher demographics than East Chicago.

Cost of Living

East Chicago

73.1

Columbus

76.4

Match · 4% difference

💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

3 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. East Chicago and Columbus differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

East Chicago

vsof 8

Columbus

Columbus leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability

East Chicago

Housing Market

Columbus

Jobs & Economy

East Chicago

Crime & Safety

Tied

Weather & Climate

Tied

Schools & Education

Columbus

Healthcare

Columbus

Transportation & Commute

Tied

Cost of Living & Affordability — East Chicago leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Columbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $872 vs $1,317 in East Chicago (51% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $743 vs $1,082 in East Chicago (46% lower). East Chicago scores 72.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 82.0 in Columbus.

Overall Cost Index

East Chicago73.1

★

Columbus76.4

Housing Index

East Chicago72.1

★

Columbus82.0

Food Index

East Chicago81.4

Columbus81.0

Transportation Index

East Chicago62.8

Columbus62.0

★

Healthcare Index

East Chicago85.1

Columbus84.8

Utilities Index

East Chicago83.3

★

Columbus85.0

Living Wage (1 Adult)

East Chicago$32,171

★

Columbus$33,633

Living Wage (Family of 4)

East Chicago$76,041

★

Columbus$79,496

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

East Chicago$1,082

Columbus$743

★

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

East Chicago$1,317

Columbus$872

★

Housing Market — Columbus leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus has a single-family homes of 67.5% compared to 50.2% in East Chicago. Columbus has a median home value of $121,200 vs $92,400 in East Chicago (24% higher). Columbus has a vacancy rate of 16.5% compared to 19.6% in East Chicago.

Median Home Value

East Chicago$92,400

Columbus$121,200

★

Median Rent

East Chicago$820

★

Columbus$882

Median Property Tax

East Chicago$989

★

Columbus$1,215

Owner-Occupied

East Chicago44.1%

Columbus48.0%

★

Vacancy Rate

East Chicago19.6%

Columbus16.5%

★

Single-Family Homes

East Chicago50.2%

Columbus67.5%

★

Jobs & Economy — East Chicago leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus has a work from home of 5.3% compared to 3.9% in East Chicago. Columbus has a poverty rate of 21.6% compared to 27.0% in East Chicago. East Chicago has a government sector of 46.3% compared to 37.5% in Columbus.

Median Household Income

East Chicago$41,071

★

Columbus$40,588

Per Capita Income

East Chicago$23,164

Columbus$28,006

★

Poverty Rate

East Chicago27.0%

Columbus21.6%

★

Unemployment Rate

East Chicago7.9%

★

Columbus9.3%

Labor Force

East Chicago11,431

★

Columbus10,345

Mean Commute

East ChicagoN/A

ColumbusN/A

Work from Home

East Chicago3.9%

Columbus5.3%

★

Private Sector

East Chicago98.1%

★

Columbus84.9%

Government Sector

East Chicago46.3%

★

Columbus37.5%

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago8.26

ColumbusN/A

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago15.90

ColumbusN/A

Murder Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago0.12

ColumbusN/A

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago0.82

ColumbusN/A

Assault Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago6.59

ColumbusN/A

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago1.44

ColumbusN/A

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

East Chicago9.20

ColumbusN/A

Violent Crime Clearance

East Chicago17.0%

ColumbusN/A

Property Crime Clearance

East Chicago7.6%

ColumbusN/A

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

East ChicagoN/A

ColumbusN/A

Avg Annual High

East ChicagoN/A

ColumbusN/A

Avg Annual Low

East ChicagoN/A

ColumbusN/A

Sunny Days per Year

East ChicagoN/A

ColumbusN/A

Annual Rainfall

East ChicagoN/A

ColumbusN/A

Annual Snowfall

East ChicagoN/A

ColumbusN/A

Avg Humidity

East ChicagoN/A

ColumbusN/A

Schools & Education — Columbus leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Columbus has a bachelor's degree or higher of 17.6% compared to 6.5% in East Chicago. Columbus has a high school diploma or higher of 38.7% compared to 32.2% in East Chicago.

Public Schools

East Chicago0

Columbus0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

East ChicagoN/A

ColumbusN/A

Colleges & Universities

East Chicago0

Columbus0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

East Chicago6.5%

Columbus17.6%

★

High School Diploma or Higher

East Chicago32.2%

Columbus38.7%

★

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

East Chicago has a population of 26,158, about 1.1x the size of Columbus (23,616). East Chicago skews younger with a median age of 36.5 vs 39.6.

Population

East Chicago26,158

Columbus23,616

Median Age

East Chicago37

Columbus40

Avg Household Size

East Chicago2.6

Columbus2.2

Married Population

East Chicago25.5%

Columbus27.4%

Foreign Born

East Chicago16.1%

Columbus2.0%

White

East Chicago16.1%

Columbus31.7%

Black

East Chicago37.4%

Columbus63.4%

Hispanic

East Chicago56.5%

Columbus2.1%

Asian

East Chicago0.1%

Columbus1.3%

East Chicago

Columbus

Healthcare — Columbus leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Columbus: 2.5 vs East Chicago: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

East Chicago5

Columbus5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

East Chicago2.0

Columbus2.5

★

With Emergency Services

East Chicago5

Columbus5

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus has a work from home of 5.3% compared to 3.9% in East Chicago. Columbus has a drive alone of 87.7% compared to 75.7% in East Chicago.

Mean Commute Time

East ChicagoN/A

ColumbusN/A

Drive Alone

East Chicago75.7%

Columbus87.7%

★

Public Transit

East Chicago0.8%

★

Columbus0.0%

Bicycle

East Chicago0.6%

★

Columbus0.0%

Work from Home

East Chicago3.9%

Columbus5.3%

★

Airports

East Chicago0

Columbus0

Cities Similar to East Chicago, IN

Compare East Chicago 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.

Explore These Cities

East Chicago, IN → Full City Profile Columbus, MS → Full City Profile

Compare Different Cities