Population
Sanford
30,833
Opelika
31,944
Median Income
Sanford
$54,294
Opelika
$58,763
Home Value
Sanford
$222,000
Opelika
$213,700
Rent
Sanford
$965
Opelika
$947
Crime Rate
Sanford
2.22
Opelika
5.60
Cost of Living
Sanford
97.2
Opelika
95.7
Avg Temp
Sanford
N/A
Opelika
N/A
Unemployment
Sanford
4.0%
Opelika
5.1%
How Similar Are Sanford & Opelika?
Opelika is Sanford's #4 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Sanford
30,833
Opelika
31,944
Both cities have similar populations — Sanford at 30,833 and Opelika at 31,944.
Violent Crime
Sanford
2.22
Opelika
5.60
Opelika's violent crime is significantly higher than Sanford's — 60% difference.
Property Crime
Sanford
24.42
Opelika
26.24
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.
Political Leaning
Sanford
58.3%
Opelika
63.3%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 8% difference.
Unemployment
Sanford
4.0%
Opelika
5.1%
Opelika has a 20% higher unemployment than Sanford.
Median Income
Sanford
$54,294
Opelika
$58,763
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Sanford
$222,000
Opelika
$213,700
Both cities have similar home values — just a 4% difference.
Education
Sanford
14.1%
Opelika
24.0%
Opelika has a 41% higher education than Sanford.
Demographics
Sanford
52.5%
Opelika
55.4%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Sanford
97.2
Opelika
95.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Sanford and Opelika are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Sanford
0
Opelika
Opelika leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Opelika leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDSanford has a fair market rent (1br) of $880 vs $1,077 in Opelika (18% lower). Opelika scores 100.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 109.4 in Sanford. Sanford has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,136 vs $1,181 in Opelika.
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 — Opelika leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSOpelika has a median property tax of $1,093 vs $2,248 in Sanford (106% lower). Opelika has a owner-occupied of 68.8% compared to 52.0% in Sanford. Opelika has a single-family homes of 70.3% compared to 64.0% in Sanford.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Opelika leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSOpelika has a poverty rate of 15.0% compared to 20.3% in Sanford. Sanford has a unemployment rate of 4.0% compared to 5.1% in Opelika. Opelika has a per capita income of $33,595 vs $28,775 in Sanford (14% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Sanford leads
Source: FBI UCRSanford has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.54 compared to 4.47 in Opelika. Sanford has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.22 compared to 5.60 in Opelika. Opelika has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.09 compared to 0.13 in Sanford.
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 — Opelika leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauOpelika has a bachelor's degree or higher of 24.0% compared to 14.1% in Sanford. Opelika has a high school diploma or higher of 41.5% compared to 29.0% in Sanford.
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 ACSOpelika has a population of 31,944, about 1x the size of Sanford (30,833). Sanford skews younger with a median age of 34.9 vs 40.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Sanford
Opelika
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSanford: 3.3 vs Opelika: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Opelika: 5 vs Sanford: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Opelika leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSOpelika has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 0.0% in Sanford. Opelika has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.0% in Sanford. Opelika: 20 min vs Sanford: 22 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Sanford, NC
Compare Sanford 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.