Population
Normal
52,908
Columbia
127,200
Median Income
Normal
$66,350
Columbia
$64,488
Home Value
Normal
$199,900
Columbia
$268,300
Rent
Normal
$974
Columbia
$1,067
Crime Rate
Normal
3.29
Columbia
3.49
Cost of Living
Normal
107.9
Columbia
108.5
Avg Temp
Normal
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Unemployment
Normal
4.2%
Columbia
3.9%
How Similar Are Normal & Columbia?
Columbia is Normal's #15 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Normal
52,908
Columbia
127,200
Columbia (127,200) is about 2.4x larger than Normal (52,908).
Violent Crime
Normal
3.29
Columbia
3.49
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 6% difference.
Property Crime
Normal
15.50
Columbia
23.18
Columbia has a 33% higher property crime than Normal.
Political Leaning
Normal
46.8%
Columbia
44.1%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 6% difference.
Unemployment
Normal
4.2%
Columbia
3.9%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.
Median Income
Normal
$66,350
Columbia
$64,488
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Normal
$199,900
Columbia
$268,300
Columbia has a 25% higher home values than Normal.
Education
Normal
26.4%
Columbia
32.1%
Columbia has a 18% higher education than Normal.
Demographics
Normal
78.8%
Columbia
74.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Normal
107.9
Columbia
108.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Normal and Columbia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Normal
0
Columbia
Columbia leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Normal leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbia has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,160 vs $1,302 in Normal (12% lower). Normal scores 119.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 124.7 in Columbia. Columbia scores 98.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 101.4 in Normal.
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 $2,478 vs $4,729 in Normal (91% lower). Columbia has a vacancy rate of 7.3% compared to 9.6% in Normal. Columbia has a median home value of $268,300 vs $199,900 in Normal (25% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Columbia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia: 69,265 vs Normal: 28,028 for labor force. Normal has a work from home of 12.4% compared to 9.6% in Columbia. Columbia has a unemployment rate of 3.9% compared to 4.2% in Normal.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Normal leads
Source: FBI UCRNormal has a property crime clearance of 26.0% compared to 12.6% in Columbia. Normal has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.10 in Columbia. Normal has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.15 compared to 0.40 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 — Columbia leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColumbia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.1% compared to 26.4% in Normal. Columbia has a high school diploma or higher of 41.7% compared to 36.3% in Normal.
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 ACSColumbia has a population of 127,200, about 2.4x the size of Normal (52,908). Normal skews younger with a median age of 25.2 vs 29.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Normal
Columbia
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareNormal: 5 vs Columbia: 3 for with emergency services. Columbia: 3.7 vs Normal: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia has a bicycle of 1.0% compared to 0.5% in Normal. Normal has a work from home of 12.4% compared to 9.6% in Columbia. Normal has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 1.2% in Columbia.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Normal, IL
Compare Normal 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.