Population
Milwaukee
569,756
Columbus
204,383
Median Income
Milwaukee
$51,888
Columbus
$56,622
Home Value
Milwaukee
$172,000
Columbus
$182,300
Rent
Milwaukee
$1,033
Columbus
$1,072
Crime Rate
Milwaukee
14.34
Columbus
6.08
Cost of Living
Milwaukee
96.4
Columbus
96.1
Avg Temp
Milwaukee
48°F
Columbus
N/A
Unemployment
Milwaukee
5.9%
Columbus
6.5%
How Similar Are Milwaukee & Columbus?
Columbus is Milwaukee's #2 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Milwaukee
569,756
Columbus
204,383
Milwaukee (569,756) is about 2.8x larger than Columbus (204,383).
Violent Crime
Milwaukee
14.34
Columbus
6.08
Milwaukee's violent crime is significantly higher than Columbus's — 58% difference.
Property Crime
Milwaukee
27.01
Columbus
22.36
Milwaukee has a 17% higher property crime than Columbus.
Political Leaning
Milwaukee
29.8%
Columbus
38.0%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Columbus has a stronger Democratic lean (22% difference).
Unemployment
Milwaukee
5.9%
Columbus
6.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
Milwaukee
$51,888
Columbus
$56,622
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Milwaukee
$172,000
Columbus
$182,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.
Education
Milwaukee
16.7%
Columbus
19.6%
Columbus has a 15% higher education than Milwaukee.
Demographics
Milwaukee
36.5%
Columbus
39.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.
Cost of Living
Milwaukee
96.4
Columbus
96.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 0% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Milwaukee and Columbus share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Milwaukee
0
Columbus
Cost of Living & Affordability — Milwaukee leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,088 vs $1,338 in Milwaukee (23% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $939 vs $1,119 in Milwaukee (19% lower). Columbus scores 105.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 112.6 in Milwaukee.
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 median property tax of $1,526 vs $3,575 in Milwaukee (134% lower). Columbus has a single-family homes of 69.3% compared to 43.3% in Milwaukee. Columbus has a owner-occupied of 50.2% compared to 41.5% in Milwaukee.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Milwaukee leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMilwaukee: 281,280 vs Columbus: 96,126 for labor force. Columbus has a poverty rate of 18.8% compared to 23.3% in Milwaukee. Milwaukee has a work from home of 11.3% compared to 9.3% in Columbus.
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 0.51 compared to 3.08 in Milwaukee. Columbus has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 6.08 compared to 14.34 in Milwaukee. Columbus has a assault rate (per 1k) of 5.15 compared to 10.31 in Milwaukee.
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 — Columbus leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColumbus has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.6% compared to 16.7% in Milwaukee. Columbus has a high school diploma or higher of 37.3% compared to 36.0% in Milwaukee.
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 ACSMilwaukee has a population of 569,756, about 2.8x the size of Columbus (204,383). Milwaukee skews younger with a median age of 32.2 vs 35.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Milwaukee
Columbus
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColumbus: 4 vs Milwaukee: 3 for with emergency services. Milwaukee: 3.3 vs Columbus: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Milwaukee leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMilwaukee has a public transit of 5.4% compared to 0.8% in Columbus. Milwaukee has a bicycle of 0.5% compared to 0.3% in Columbus. Milwaukee has a work from home of 11.3% compared to 9.3% in Columbus.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Milwaukee, WI
Compare Milwaukee 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.