Population
Silver Spring
82,129
Columbia
105,871
Median Income
Silver Spring
$98,880
Columbia
$129,173
Home Value
Silver Spring
$619,400
Columbia
$480,300
Rent
Silver Spring
$1,899
Columbia
$1,998
Crime Rate
Silver Spring
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Cost of Living
Silver Spring
174.7
Columbia
185.2
Avg Temp
Silver Spring
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Unemployment
Silver Spring
4.9%
Columbia
4.5%
How Similar Are Silver Spring & Columbia?
Columbia is Silver Spring's #24 most similar city
3 of 8 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Silver Spring
82,129
Columbia
105,871
Columbia has a 22% larger population than Silver Spring.
Political Leaning
Silver Spring
21.9%
Columbia
27.4%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Columbia has a stronger Democratic lean (20% difference).
Unemployment
Silver Spring
4.9%
Columbia
4.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.
Median Income
Silver Spring
$98,880
Columbia
$129,173
Columbia has a 23% higher median income than Silver Spring.
Home Values
Silver Spring
$619,400
Columbia
$480,300
Silver Spring has a 22% higher home values than Columbia.
Education
Silver Spring
41.4%
Columbia
44.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.
Demographics
Silver Spring
36.5%
Columbia
46.0%
Columbia has a 21% higher demographics than Silver Spring.
Cost of Living
Silver Spring
174.7
Columbia
185.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.
3 out of 8 key metrics match within 10%. Silver Spring and Columbia differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Silver Spring
0
Columbia
Silver Spring leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Silver Spring leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbia has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,511 vs $2,015 in Silver Spring (33% lower). Columbia has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,857 vs $2,246 in Silver Spring (21% lower). Silver Spring scores 125.6 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 148.7 in Columbia.
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 — Silver Spring leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia has a single-family homes of 65.5% compared to 35.4% in Silver Spring. Columbia has a owner-occupied of 64.9% compared to 38.2% in Silver Spring. Silver Spring has a median home value of $619,400 vs $480,300 in Columbia (29% 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 has a poverty rate of 7.4% compared to 9.7% in Silver Spring. Columbia has a median household income of $129,173 vs $98,880 in Silver Spring (23% higher). Columbia: 60,493 vs Silver Spring: 51,227 for labor force.
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 — Columbia leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColumbia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 44.5% compared to 41.4% in Silver Spring. Columbia has a high school diploma or higher of 52.8% compared to 50.5% in Silver Spring.
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 105,871, about 1.3x the size of Silver Spring (82,129). Silver Spring skews younger with a median age of 35.2 vs 39.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Silver Spring
Columbia
Healthcare — Silver Spring leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareSilver Spring: 4 vs Columbia: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Silver Spring leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSilver Spring has a bicycle of 0.9% compared to 0.1% in Columbia. Silver Spring has a public transit of 16.0% compared to 2.9% in Columbia. Columbia has a drive alone of 66.3% compared to 45.9% in Silver Spring.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Silver Spring, MD
Compare Silver Spring 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.