Population
Pontiac
61,914
Columbus
23,616
Median Income
Pontiac
$42,791
Columbus
$40,588
Home Value
Pontiac
$110,600
Columbus
$121,200
Rent
Pontiac
$1,007
Columbus
$882
Crime Rate
Pontiac
N/A
Columbus
N/A
Cost of Living
Pontiac
82.9
Columbus
76.4
Avg Temp
Pontiac
N/A
Columbus
N/A
Unemployment
Pontiac
10.6%
Columbus
9.3%
How Similar Are Pontiac & Columbus?
Columbus is Pontiac's #20 most similar city
3 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Pontiac
61,914
Columbus
23,616
Pontiac (61,914) is about 2.6x larger than Columbus (23,616).
Political Leaning
Pontiac
43.8%
Columbus
53.6%
Pontiac leans Democratic while Columbus leans Republican.
Unemployment
Pontiac
10.6%
Columbus
9.3%
Pontiac has a 12% higher unemployment than Columbus.
Median Income
Pontiac
$42,791
Columbus
$40,588
Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.
Home Values
Pontiac
$110,600
Columbus
$121,200
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Pontiac
10.7%
Columbus
17.6%
Columbus has a 39% higher education than Pontiac.
Demographics
Pontiac
27.1%
Columbus
31.7%
Columbus has a 14% higher demographics than Pontiac.
Cost of Living
Pontiac
82.9
Columbus
76.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
3 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Pontiac and Columbus differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Pontiac
0
Columbus
Columbus leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Columbus leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $872 vs $1,411 in Pontiac (62% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $743 vs $1,122 in Pontiac (51% lower). Columbus scores 62.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 82.7 in Pontiac.
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 ACSPontiac has a vacancy rate of 9.4% compared to 16.5% in Columbus. Columbus has a median rent of $882 vs $1,007 in Pontiac (14% lower). Columbus has a median home value of $121,200 vs $110,600 in Pontiac (9% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPontiac: 30,178 vs Columbus: 10,345 for labor force. Columbus has a work from home of 5.3% compared to 4.1% in Pontiac. Columbus has a poverty rate of 21.6% compared to 25.6% in Pontiac.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety
Source: FBI UCRViolent 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 17.6% compared to 10.7% in Pontiac. Columbus has a high school diploma or higher of 38.7% compared to 34.0% in Pontiac.
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 ACSPontiac has a population of 61,914, about 2.6x the size of Columbus (23,616). Pontiac skews younger with a median age of 35.5 vs 39.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Pontiac
Columbus
Healthcare — Columbus leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColumbus: 5 vs Pontiac: 3 for with emergency services. Columbus: 2.5 vs Pontiac: 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 ACSColumbus has a work from home of 5.3% compared to 4.1% in Pontiac. Columbus has a drive alone of 87.7% compared to 73.2% in Pontiac.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Pontiac, MI
Compare Pontiac 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.