Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 39/100
D−
Median home value$252,900
Columbus $300,800
Median rent$1,295/mo
Columbus $1,274/mo
Cost-burdened households35%
Columbus 29%
Columbus
Franklin County914,802 residents2 school districts
57
C−
Suburbgrade score
16th of 24 Columbus suburbs. Strong on amenities and commute & transport, held back by schools.
57
Columbus median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Columbus yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 57 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Columbus is like to live in, by category
Bars show Columbus against Columbus. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 32/100
F
Within-state proficiency21st pct
Columbus median 62nd pct
Student–teacher ratio17.4
Columbus median 17.8
Graduation rate76%
Columbus median 90%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index95
Columbus 100
Eff. tax rate1.36%
Columbus 1.42%
Local sales tax7.29%
Columbus median 7.29%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 83/100
A−
Mean commute21.5 min
Columbus 23.6 min
Under 30 minutes77%
Columbus 70%
Transit stops / sq mi33
Columbus median 1.6 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 87/100
A−
Restaurants & cafés336
Columbus median 49 · within 2 miles
Groceries6
Columbus median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks122
Columbus median 36 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 51/100
D+
Median household income$66,082
Columbus $81,945
Unemployment5.1%
Columbus 4.1%
Professional occupations44%
Columbus 46%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Columbus yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Columbus on schools
Columbus's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbSchoolsOverall
Bexley3 mi from ColumbusA− 77 B Upper Arlington5 mi from ColumbusB+ 76 B Powell14 mi from ColumbusB 72 B− New Albany13 mi from ColumbusB− 68 B− Dublin12 mi from ColumbusB− 70 B− Worthington8 mi from ColumbusB− 71 B− Within-state proficiency: EDFacts SY2021–22 · Graduation rate: EDFacts ACGR SY2018–19
Common questions about living in Columbus
Is Columbus, OH a good place to live?
Columbus scores 57 out of 100, 16th of 24 Columbus suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on schools. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Columbus expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $252,900, 16% below the Columbus median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.36%. $1,295/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Columbus?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Columbus sit at the 21st pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 76% graduation rate and a 17.4 student–teacher ratio. Columbus is served by Columbus City Schools District and South-Western City School District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Columbus?
The mean commute is 21.5 min, with 77% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 18% working from home. Transit density is 33 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Columbus?
Within two miles there are 6 groceries, 336 restaurants and cafés and 122 parks, which grades A− on amenities.
Are the homes in Columbus old or new?
The median home in Columbus was built in 1980 — close to the Columbus median of 1982. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 55% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.