Population

Huntsville

218,814

Columbia

127,200

Median Income

Huntsville

$70,778

Columbia

$64,488

Home Value

Huntsville

$263,100

Columbia

$268,300

Rent

Huntsville

$1,078

Columbia

$1,067

Crime Rate

Huntsville

4.84

Columbia

3.49

Cost of Living

Huntsville

107.3

Columbia

108.5

Avg Temp

Huntsville

N/A

Columbia

N/A

Unemployment

Huntsville

4.3%

Columbia

3.9%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Huntsville & Columbia?

Columbia is Huntsville's #2 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Huntsville

218,814

vs

Columbia

127,200

Different · 42% difference

Huntsville has a 42% larger population than Columbia.

Violent Crime

Huntsville

4.84

vs

Columbia

3.49

Different · 28% difference
🚨

Huntsville has a 28% higher violent crime than Columbia.

Property Crime

🔒

Huntsville

23.88

vs

Columbia

23.18

Match · 3% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 3% difference.

Political Leaning

Huntsville

53.7%

vs

Columbia

44.1%

Different · 18% difference
🗳️

Huntsville leans Republican while Columbia leans Democratic.

Unemployment

💼

Huntsville

4.3%

vs

Columbia

3.9%

Different · 10% difference

Huntsville has a 10% higher unemployment than Columbia.

Median Income

Huntsville

$70,778

vs

Columbia

$64,488

Match · 9% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Huntsville

$263,100

vs

Columbia

$268,300

Match · 2% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.

Education

Huntsville

31.4%

vs

Columbia

32.1%

Match · 2% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Huntsville

58.4%

vs

Columbia

74.3%

Different · 21% difference

Columbia has a 21% higher demographics than Huntsville.

Cost of Living

Huntsville

107.3

vs

Columbia

108.5

Match · 1% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Huntsville and Columbia share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Huntsville

vsof 8

0

Columbia

Cost of Living & Affordability

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Columbia has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,160 vs $1,310 in Huntsville (13% lower). Columbia has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,011 vs $1,136 in Huntsville (12% lower). Huntsville scores 88.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 98.6 in Columbia.

Overall Cost Index

Huntsville107.3
Columbia108.5

Housing Index

Huntsville117.9
Columbia124.7

Food Index

Huntsville104.1
Columbia99.3

Transportation Index

Huntsville88.4
Columbia98.6

Healthcare Index

Huntsville103.3
Columbia99.4

Utilities Index

Huntsville106.0
Columbia104.5

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Huntsville$47,221
Columbia$47,740

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Huntsville$111,614
Columbia$112,841

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Huntsville$1,136
Columbia$1,011

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Huntsville$1,310
Columbia$1,160

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Huntsville has a median property tax of $1,259 vs $2,478 in Columbia (49% lower). Huntsville has a owner-occupied of 58.1% compared to 49.4% in Columbia. Columbia has a vacancy rate of 7.3% compared to 8.3% in Huntsville.

Median Home Value

Huntsville$263,100
Columbia$268,300

Median Rent

Huntsville$1,078
Columbia$1,067

Median Property Tax

Huntsville$1,259
Columbia$2,478

Owner-Occupied

Huntsville58.1%
Columbia49.4%

Vacancy Rate

Huntsville8.3%
Columbia7.3%

Single-Family Homes

Huntsville65.8%
Columbia58.8%

Jobs & Economy — Huntsville leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Huntsville: 114,715 vs Columbia: 69,265 for labor force. Huntsville has a work from home of 13.1% compared to 9.6% in Columbia. Huntsville has a poverty rate of 13.8% compared to 20.0% in Columbia.

Median Household Income

Huntsville$70,778
Columbia$64,488

Per Capita Income

Huntsville$44,733
Columbia$37,359

Poverty Rate

Huntsville13.8%
Columbia20.0%

Unemployment Rate

Huntsville4.3%
Columbia3.9%

Labor Force

Huntsville114,715
Columbia69,265

Mean Commute

Huntsville17 min
ColumbiaN/A

Work from Home

Huntsville13.1%
Columbia9.6%

Private Sector

Huntsville92.9%
Columbia83.3%

Government Sector

Huntsville42.1%
Columbia36.7%

Crime & Safety — Columbia leads

Source: FBI UCR

Huntsville has a property crime clearance of 23.4% compared to 12.6% in Columbia. Columbia has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.59 compared to 3.73 in Huntsville. Columbia has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 3.49 compared to 4.84 in Huntsville.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Huntsville4.84
Columbia3.49

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Huntsville23.88
Columbia23.18

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Huntsville0.08
Columbia0.10

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Huntsville0.54
Columbia0.40

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Huntsville3.73
Columbia2.59

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Huntsville3.21
Columbia3.33

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Huntsville18.09
Columbia16.06

Violent Crime Clearance

Huntsville43.4%
Columbia49.7%

Property Crime Clearance

Huntsville23.4%
Columbia12.6%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

HuntsvilleN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Avg Annual High

HuntsvilleN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Avg Annual Low

HuntsvilleN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Sunny Days per Year

HuntsvilleN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Annual Rainfall

HuntsvilleN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Annual Snowfall

HuntsvilleN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Avg Humidity

HuntsvilleN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Huntsville has a high school diploma or higher of 43.2% compared to 41.7% in Columbia. Columbia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.1% compared to 31.4% in Huntsville.

Public Schools

Huntsville0
Columbia0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

HuntsvilleN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Colleges & Universities

Huntsville0
Columbia0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Huntsville31.4%
Columbia32.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

Huntsville43.2%
Columbia41.7%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Huntsville has a population of 218,814, about 1.7x the size of Columbia (127,200). Columbia skews younger with a median age of 29.2 vs 36.4.

Population

Huntsville218,814
Columbia127,200

Median Age

Huntsville36
Columbia29

Avg Household Size

Huntsville2.2
Columbia2.3

Married Population

Huntsville37.3%
Columbia32.6%

Foreign Born

Huntsville6.6%
Columbia8.1%

White

Huntsville58.4%
Columbia74.3%

Black

Huntsville29.7%
Columbia12.1%

Hispanic

Huntsville8.1%
Columbia4.3%

Asian

Huntsville2.0%
Columbia6.1%

Huntsville

Columbia

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Huntsville: 4 vs Columbia: 3 for with emergency services. Columbia: 3.7 vs Huntsville: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Huntsville5
Columbia5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Huntsville2.5
Columbia3.7

With Emergency Services

Huntsville4
Columbia3

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbia has a bicycle of 1.0% compared to 0.1% in Huntsville. Columbia has a public transit of 1.2% compared to 0.3% in Huntsville. Huntsville has a work from home of 13.1% compared to 9.6% in Columbia.

Mean Commute Time

Huntsville17 min
ColumbiaN/A

Drive Alone

Huntsville77.5%
Columbia74.1%

Public Transit

Huntsville0.3%
Columbia1.2%

Bicycle

Huntsville0.1%
Columbia1.0%

Work from Home

Huntsville13.1%
Columbia9.6%

Airports

Huntsville0
Columbia0

Cities Similar to Huntsville, AL

Compare Huntsville 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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