Population
Gainesville
143,611
Columbia
138,019
Median Income
Gainesville
$45,611
Columbia
$55,653
Home Value
Gainesville
$235,000
Columbia
$243,500
Rent
Gainesville
$1,214
Columbia
$1,158
Crime Rate
Gainesville
7.44
Columbia
7.70
Cost of Living
Gainesville
96.6
Columbia
100.1
Avg Temp
Gainesville
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Unemployment
Gainesville
4.8%
Columbia
7.6%
How Similar Are Gainesville & Columbia?
Columbia is Gainesville's #1 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Gainesville
143,611
Columbia
138,019
Both cities have similar populations — Gainesville at 143,611 and Columbia at 138,019.
Violent Crime
Gainesville
7.44
Columbia
7.70
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 3% difference.
Property Crime
Gainesville
27.04
Columbia
32.33
Columbia has a 16% higher property crime than Gainesville.
Political Leaning
Gainesville
38.8%
Columbia
31.8%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Gainesville has a stronger Democratic lean (18% difference).
Unemployment
Gainesville
4.8%
Columbia
7.6%
Columbia has a 37% higher unemployment than Gainesville.
Median Income
Gainesville
$45,611
Columbia
$55,653
Columbia has a 18% higher median income than Gainesville.
Home Values
Gainesville
$235,000
Columbia
$243,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 3% difference.
Education
Gainesville
27.3%
Columbia
26.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.
Demographics
Gainesville
59.2%
Columbia
49.9%
Gainesville has a 16% higher demographics than Columbia.
Cost of Living
Gainesville
96.6
Columbia
100.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Gainesville and Columbia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Gainesville
0
Columbia
Gainesville leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Gainesville leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbia has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,276 vs $1,493 in Gainesville (17% lower). Gainesville scores 69.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 76.5 in Columbia. Gainesville scores 84.9 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 92.5 in Columbia.
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 — Columbia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia has a median property tax of $1,608 vs $2,265 in Gainesville (41% lower). Columbia has a single-family homes of 57.4% compared to 42.8% in Gainesville. Gainesville has a vacancy rate of 11.5% compared to 14.5% in Columbia.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Columbia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGainesville has a unemployment rate of 4.8% compared to 7.6% in Columbia. Gainesville has a work from home of 12.4% compared to 9.8% in Columbia. Columbia has a poverty rate of 23.3% compared to 28.0% in Gainesville.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Gainesville leads
Source: FBI UCRGainesville has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.10 in Columbia. Columbia has a property crime clearance of 13.4% compared to 7.8% in Gainesville. Gainesville has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.07 compared to 4.97 in Columbia.
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
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg 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 BureauGainesville has a bachelor's degree or higher of 27.3% compared to 26.5% in Columbia. Columbia has a high school diploma or higher of 37.5% compared to 36.7% in Gainesville.
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 ACSGainesville has a population of 143,611, about 1x the size of Columbia (138,019). Gainesville skews younger with a median age of 26.5 vs 28.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Gainesville
Columbia
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGainesville: 5 vs Columbia: 4 for with emergency services. Columbia: 3.8 vs Gainesville: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Gainesville leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGainesville has a bicycle of 3.5% compared to 0.3% in Columbia. Gainesville has a public transit of 4.9% compared to 1.4% in Columbia. Gainesville has a work from home of 12.4% compared to 9.8% in Columbia.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Gainesville, FL
Compare Gainesville 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.