Population

Syracuse

146,211

Columbia

138,019

Median Income

Syracuse

$45,845

Columbia

$55,653

Home Value

Syracuse

$125,100

Columbia

$243,500

Rent

Syracuse

$998

Columbia

$1,158

Crime Rate

Syracuse

7.65

Columbia

7.70

Cost of Living

Syracuse

86.9

Columbia

100.1

Avg Temp

Syracuse

N/A

Columbia

N/A

Unemployment

Syracuse

7.5%

Columbia

7.6%

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How Similar Are Syracuse & Columbia?

Columbia is Syracuse's #11 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Syracuse

146,211

vs

Columbia

138,019

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar populations — Syracuse at 146,211 and Columbia at 138,019.

Violent Crime

Syracuse

7.65

vs

Columbia

7.70

Match · 1% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 1% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Syracuse

42.34

vs

Columbia

32.33

Different · 24% difference

Syracuse has a 24% higher property crime than Columbia.

Political Leaning

Syracuse

41.4%

vs

Columbia

31.8%

Different · 23% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Syracuse has a stronger Democratic lean (23% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Syracuse

7.5%

vs

Columbia

7.6%

Match · 2% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 2% difference.

Median Income

Syracuse

$45,845

vs

Columbia

$55,653

Different · 18% difference
💰

Columbia has a 18% higher median income than Syracuse.

Home Values

🏠

Syracuse

$125,100

vs

Columbia

$243,500

Different · 49% difference

Columbia has a 49% higher home values than Syracuse.

Education

Syracuse

18.8%

vs

Columbia

26.5%

Different · 29% difference
🎓

Columbia has a 29% higher education than Syracuse.

Demographics

🌍

Syracuse

51.9%

vs

Columbia

49.9%

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.

Cost of Living

Syracuse

86.9

vs

Columbia

100.1

Different · 13% difference
💵

Columbia has a 13% higher cost of living than Syracuse.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Syracuse and Columbia share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Syracuse

vsof 8

0

Columbia

Columbia leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Syracuse leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Syracuse scores 100.2 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 121.6 in Columbia. Syracuse scores 86.9 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 100.1 in Columbia. Syracuse has a living wage (1 adult) of $38,255 vs $44,029 in Columbia (13% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Syracuse86.9
Columbia100.1

Housing Index

Syracuse100.2
Columbia121.6

Food Index

Syracuse85.0
Columbia92.5

Transportation Index

Syracuse71.3
Columbia76.5

Healthcare Index

Syracuse88.0
Columbia94.0

Utilities Index

Syracuse91.1
Columbia99.8

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Syracuse$38,255
Columbia$44,029

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Syracuse$90,421
Columbia$104,068

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Syracuse$1,123
Columbia$1,164

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Syracuse$1,392
Columbia$1,276

Housing Market — Columbia leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbia has a median property tax of $1,608 vs $3,129 in Syracuse (95% lower). Columbia has a median home value of $243,500 vs $125,100 in Syracuse (49% higher). Columbia has a single-family homes of 57.4% compared to 44.2% in Syracuse.

Median Home Value

Syracuse$125,100
Columbia$243,500

Median Rent

Syracuse$998
Columbia$1,158

Median Property Tax

Syracuse$3,129
Columbia$1,608

Owner-Occupied

Syracuse41.3%
Columbia47.3%

Vacancy Rate

Syracuse13.0%
Columbia14.5%

Single-Family Homes

Syracuse44.2%
Columbia57.4%

Jobs & Economy — Columbia leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Columbia has a per capita income of $38,087 vs $27,570 in Syracuse (28% higher). Columbia has a poverty rate of 23.3% compared to 29.6% in Syracuse. Columbia has a median household income of $55,653 vs $45,845 in Syracuse (18% higher).

Median Household Income

Syracuse$45,845
Columbia$55,653

Per Capita Income

Syracuse$27,570
Columbia$38,087

Poverty Rate

Syracuse29.6%
Columbia23.3%

Unemployment Rate

Syracuse7.5%
Columbia7.6%

Labor Force

Syracuse67,768
Columbia76,809

Mean Commute

Syracuse16 min
Columbia16 min

Work from Home

Syracuse10.5%
Columbia9.8%

Private Sector

Syracuse80.6%
Columbia84.6%

Government Sector

Syracuse38.3%
Columbia38.4%

Crime & Safety — Columbia leads

Source: FBI UCR

Columbia has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.10 compared to 0.15 in Syracuse. Columbia has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 4.97 compared to 7.21 in Syracuse. Columbia has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 32.33 compared to 42.34 in Syracuse.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Syracuse7.65
Columbia7.70

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Syracuse42.34
Columbia32.33

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Syracuse0.15
Columbia0.10

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Syracuse1.34
Columbia1.09

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Syracuse5.58
Columbia5.90

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Syracuse7.21
Columbia4.97

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Syracuse26.38
Columbia23.57

Violent Crime Clearance

Syracuse26.9%
Columbia34.1%

Property Crime Clearance

Syracuse10.8%
Columbia13.4%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

SyracuseN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Avg Annual High

SyracuseN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Avg Annual Low

SyracuseN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Sunny Days per Year

SyracuseN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Annual Rainfall

SyracuseN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Annual Snowfall

SyracuseN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Avg Humidity

SyracuseN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Schools & Education — Columbia leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Columbia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 26.5% compared to 18.8% in Syracuse. Columbia has a high school diploma or higher of 37.5% compared to 35.3% in Syracuse.

Public Schools

Syracuse0
Columbia0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

SyracuseN/A
ColumbiaN/A

Colleges & Universities

Syracuse0
Columbia0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Syracuse18.8%
Columbia26.5%

High School Diploma or Higher

Syracuse35.3%
Columbia37.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Syracuse has a population of 146,211, about 1.1x the size of Columbia (138,019). Columbia skews younger with a median age of 28.7 vs 31.9.

Population

Syracuse146,211
Columbia138,019

Median Age

Syracuse32
Columbia29

Avg Household Size

Syracuse2.2
Columbia2.2

Married Population

Syracuse23.6%
Columbia27.3%

Foreign Born

Syracuse12.1%
Columbia5.1%

White

Syracuse51.9%
Columbia49.9%

Black

Syracuse27.6%
Columbia39.5%

Hispanic

Syracuse10.3%
Columbia5.7%

Asian

Syracuse6.8%
Columbia2.7%

Syracuse

Columbia

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Columbia: 3.8 vs Syracuse: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Syracuse: 5 vs Columbia: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Syracuse5
Columbia5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Syracuse2.0
Columbia3.8

With Emergency Services

Syracuse5
Columbia4

Transportation & Commute — Syracuse leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Syracuse has a public transit of 6.5% compared to 1.4% in Columbia. Syracuse has a bicycle of 0.9% compared to 0.3% in Columbia. Syracuse has a work from home of 10.5% compared to 9.8% in Columbia.

Mean Commute Time

Syracuse16 min
Columbia16 min

Drive Alone

Syracuse59.5%
Columbia62.9%

Public Transit

Syracuse6.5%
Columbia1.4%

Bicycle

Syracuse0.9%
Columbia0.3%

Work from Home

Syracuse10.5%
Columbia9.8%

Airports

Syracuse0
Columbia0

Cities Similar to Syracuse, NY

Compare Syracuse against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

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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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