Population
South Bend
102,866
Columbus
204,383
Median Income
South Bend
$52,512
Columbus
$56,622
Home Value
South Bend
$124,500
Columbus
$182,300
Rent
South Bend
$1,000
Columbus
$1,072
Crime Rate
South Bend
9.65
Columbus
6.08
Cost of Living
South Bend
87.5
Columbus
96.1
Avg Temp
South Bend
N/A
Columbus
N/A
Unemployment
South Bend
6.0%
Columbus
6.5%
How Similar Are South Bend & Columbus?
Columbus is South Bend's #18 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
South Bend
102,866
Columbus
204,383
Columbus has a 50% larger population than South Bend.
Violent Crime
South Bend
9.65
Columbus
6.08
South Bend has a 37% higher violent crime than Columbus.
Property Crime
South Bend
20.44
Columbus
22.36
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 9% difference.
Political Leaning
South Bend
48.5%
Columbus
38.0%
Both cities lean Democratic, but South Bend has a stronger Democratic lean (22% difference).
Unemployment
South Bend
6.0%
Columbus
6.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.
Median Income
South Bend
$52,512
Columbus
$56,622
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
South Bend
$124,500
Columbus
$182,300
Columbus has a 32% higher home values than South Bend.
Education
South Bend
18.9%
Columbus
19.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
South Bend
54.1%
Columbus
39.3%
South Bend has a 27% higher demographics than Columbus.
Cost of Living
South Bend
87.5
Columbus
96.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. South Bend and Columbus share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
South Bend
0
Columbus
South Bend leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — South Bend leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDColumbus has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,088 vs $1,292 in South Bend (19% lower). Columbus has a fair market rent (1br) of $939 vs $1,105 in South Bend (18% lower). South Bend scores 90.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 105.7 in Columbus.
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 — South Bend leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus has a median home value of $182,300 vs $124,500 in South Bend (32% higher). South Bend has a median property tax of $1,235 vs $1,526 in Columbus (19% lower). South Bend has a owner-occupied of 58.8% compared to 50.2% in Columbus.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbus: 96,126 vs South Bend: 49,983 for labor force. South Bend has a government sector of 43.6% compared to 36.1% in Columbus. Columbus has a poverty rate of 18.8% compared to 22.6% in South Bend.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Columbus leads
Source: FBI UCRColumbus has a property crime clearance of 21.2% compared to 4.4% in South Bend. South Bend has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.13 in Columbus. Columbus has a assault rate (per 1k) of 5.15 compared to 8.37 in South Bend.
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
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauColumbus has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.6% compared to 18.9% in South Bend. South Bend has a high school diploma or higher of 37.9% compared to 37.3% in Columbus.
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 ACSColumbus has a population of 204,383, about 2x the size of South Bend (102,866). South Bend skews younger with a median age of 33.9 vs 35.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
South Bend
Columbus
Healthcare — Columbus leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColumbus: 4 vs South Bend: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — South Bend leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSouth Bend has a bicycle of 1.1% compared to 0.3% in Columbus. South Bend has a public transit of 1.7% compared to 0.8% in Columbus. South Bend has a work from home of 10.0% compared to 9.3% in Columbus.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to South Bend, IN
Compare South Bend 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.