Population

Philadelphia

1,582,432

Columbus

906,480

Median Income

Philadelphia

$60,698

Columbus

$65,327

Home Value

Philadelphia

$232,400

Columbus

$234,500

Rent

Philadelphia

$1,323

Columbus

$1,224

Crime Rate

Philadelphia

9.10

Columbus

4.35

Cost of Living

Philadelphia

111.1

Columbus

110.5

Avg Temp

Philadelphia

55°F

Columbus

53°F

Unemployment

Philadelphia

8.4%

Columbus

5.1%

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How Similar Are Philadelphia & Columbus?

Columbus is Philadelphia's #8 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Philadelphia

1,582,432

vs

Columbus

906,480

Different · 43% difference

Philadelphia has a 43% larger population than Columbus.

Violent Crime

Philadelphia

9.10

vs

Columbus

4.35

Different · 52% difference
🚨

Philadelphia's violent crime is significantly higher than Columbus's — 52% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Philadelphia

45.48

vs

Columbus

26.53

Different · 42% difference

Philadelphia has a 42% higher property crime than Columbus.

Political Leaning

Philadelphia

20.0%

vs

Columbus

35.3%

Different · 43% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Columbus has a stronger Democratic lean (43% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Philadelphia

8.4%

vs

Columbus

5.1%

Different · 40% difference

Philadelphia has a 40% higher unemployment than Columbus.

Median Income

Philadelphia

$60,698

vs

Columbus

$65,327

Match · 7% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Philadelphia

$232,400

vs

Columbus

$234,500

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.

Education

Philadelphia

23.8%

vs

Columbus

25.4%

Match · 6% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Philadelphia

36.1%

vs

Columbus

53.3%

Different · 32% difference

Columbus has a 32% higher demographics than Philadelphia.

Cost of Living

Philadelphia

111.1

vs

Columbus

110.5

Match · 1% difference
💵

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

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Philadelphia and Columbus share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Philadelphia

vsof 8

0

Columbus

Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbus leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Columbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,194 vs $1,520 in Philadelphia (27% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,430 vs $1,810 in Philadelphia (27% lower). Columbus scores 89.4 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 109.5 in Philadelphia.

Overall Cost Index

Philadelphia111.1
Columbus110.5

Housing Index

Philadelphia132.0
Columbus132.7

Food Index

Philadelphia96.4
Columbus99.9

Transportation Index

Philadelphia109.5
Columbus89.4

Healthcare Index

Philadelphia97.1
Columbus99.9

Utilities Index

Philadelphia104.2
Columbus106.5

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Philadelphia$48,904
Columbus$48,601

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Philadelphia$115,592
Columbus$114,875

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Philadelphia$1,520
Columbus$1,194

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Philadelphia$1,810
Columbus$1,430

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Philadelphia has a median property tax of $1,952 vs $3,165 in Columbus (38% lower). Columbus has a vacancy rate of 8.0% compared to 9.5% in Philadelphia. Philadelphia has a owner-occupied of 52.3% compared to 44.3% in Columbus.

Median Home Value

Philadelphia$232,400
Columbus$234,500

Median Rent

Philadelphia$1,323
Columbus$1,224

Median Property Tax

Philadelphia$1,952
Columbus$3,165

Owner-Occupied

Philadelphia52.3%
Columbus44.3%

Vacancy Rate

Philadelphia9.5%
Columbus8.0%

Single-Family Homes

Philadelphia64.8%
Columbus55.0%

Jobs & Economy — Columbus leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbus has a unemployment rate of 5.1% compared to 8.4% in Philadelphia. Philadelphia: 810,038 vs Columbus: 512,498 for labor force. Columbus: 18 min vs Philadelphia: 27 min for mean commute.

Median Household Income

Philadelphia$60,698
Columbus$65,327

Per Capita Income

Philadelphia$37,669
Columbus$37,189

Poverty Rate

Philadelphia22.0%
Columbus17.9%

Unemployment Rate

Philadelphia8.4%
Columbus5.1%

Labor Force

Philadelphia810,038
Columbus512,498

Mean Commute

Philadelphia27 min
Columbus18 min

Work from Home

Philadelphia16.4%
Columbus16.1%

Private Sector

Philadelphia81.7%
Columbus90.6%

Government Sector

Philadelphia39.6%
Columbus42.7%

Crime & Safety — Columbus leads

Source: FBI UCR

Columbus has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.88 compared to 2.73 in Philadelphia. Columbus has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.11 compared to 5.72 in Philadelphia. Philadelphia has a property crime clearance of 9.0% compared to 3.6% in Columbus.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Philadelphia9.10
Columbus4.35

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Philadelphia45.48
Columbus26.53

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Philadelphia0.17
Columbus0.12

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Philadelphia2.73
Columbus0.88

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Philadelphia5.72
Columbus2.11

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Philadelphia3.19
Columbus4.05

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Philadelphia32.24
Columbus17.06

Violent Crime Clearance

Philadelphia40.1%
Columbus21.8%

Property Crime Clearance

Philadelphia9.0%
Columbus3.6%

Weather & Climate — Philadelphia leads

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Philadelphia gets 22 more sunny days per year than Columbus. Philadelphia averages 47°F, about 3°F warmer than Columbus. Columbus: 39.4" vs Philadelphia: 41.1" for annual rainfall.

Avg Annual Temperature

Philadelphia55°F
Columbus53°F

Avg Annual High

Philadelphia64°F
Columbus61°F

Avg Annual Low

Philadelphia47°F
Columbus45°F

Sunny Days per Year

Philadelphia202
Columbus180

Annual Rainfall

Philadelphia41.1"
Columbus39.4"

Annual Snowfall

Philadelphia8.4"
Columbus8.1"

Avg Humidity

Philadelphia68.0%
Columbus70.5%

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Columbus has a bachelor's degree or higher of 25.4% compared to 23.8% in Philadelphia. Philadelphia has a high school diploma or higher of 44.4% compared to 42.1% in Columbus.

Public Schools

Philadelphia0
Columbus0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

PhiladelphiaN/A
ColumbusN/A

Colleges & Universities

Philadelphia0
Columbus0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Philadelphia23.8%
Columbus25.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

Philadelphia44.4%
Columbus42.1%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Philadelphia has a population of 1,582,432, about 1.7x the size of Columbus (906,480). Columbus skews younger with a median age of 33.0 vs 35.1.

Population

Philadelphia1,582,432
Columbus906,480

Median Age

Philadelphia35
Columbus33

Avg Household Size

Philadelphia2.3
Columbus2.3

Married Population

Philadelphia28.4%
Columbus31.2%

Foreign Born

Philadelphia14.6%
Columbus14.4%

White

Philadelphia36.1%
Columbus53.3%

Black

Philadelphia39.9%
Columbus29.0%

Hispanic

Philadelphia15.2%
Columbus7.9%

Asian

Philadelphia7.8%
Columbus5.8%

Philadelphia

Columbus

Healthcare — Philadelphia leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Philadelphia: 4.3 vs Columbus: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Philadelphia5
Columbus5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Philadelphia4.3
Columbus3.0

With Emergency Services

Philadelphia4
Columbus4

Transportation & Commute — Philadelphia leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Philadelphia has a public transit of 17.9% compared to 2.1% in Columbus. Philadelphia has a bicycle of 1.9% compared to 0.4% in Columbus. Columbus: 18 min vs Philadelphia: 27 min for mean commute time.

Mean Commute Time

Philadelphia27 min
Columbus18 min

Drive Alone

Philadelphia46.6%
Columbus70.1%

Public Transit

Philadelphia17.9%
Columbus2.1%

Bicycle

Philadelphia1.9%
Columbus0.4%

Work from Home

Philadelphia16.4%
Columbus16.1%

Airports

Philadelphia0
Columbus0

Cities Similar to Philadelphia, PA

Compare Philadelphia 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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