PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Columbia, SC

52.6
Life Score / 100
B
Grade (curved)
#160
of 387 metros
59%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Columbia ranks #160 of 387 US metros, ahead of 59% - carried by its safety (98/100) and held back most by environment (20/100).

98
strongest: Safety
71
then: Childcare
20
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Columbia sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

53 59th percentile higher than 59% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). This entry sits in this band. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Columbia Life Score

Columbia's composite score of 52.6 out of 100, a grade of B, places the metro at rank #160 of 387, ahead of 59% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Safety (98/100) and Childcare (71/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (20/100) and Schools (26/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 93.7 (rent-RPP 79.5). BLS median salary $64,117, 383,170 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Customer Service Representatives). HUD 2BR FMR $1,276/mo (studio $1,032).

FBI UCR (SC): 439 violent, 1988 property/100K. NCES: 14.3:1 ratio, 7.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,732/yr. EPA: 34 Superfund sites (SC). Ranks #157-#163 below.

Dimension detail

How Columbia scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 49/100 (20%)
Wages 43/100 (20%)
Rent 52/100 (15%)
Safety 98/100 (15%)
Schools 26/100 (10%)
Childcare 71/100 (10%)
Environment 20/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

93.7
Cost Index (RPP)
$64,117
Avg Median Salary
$1,276
2BR Fair Market Rent
439
Violent Crime/100K (SC)
14.3:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,732
Infant Childcare/yr (SC)
34
Superfund Sites (SC)
383,170
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Columbia With...

Columbia vs Spartanburg Compare → Columbia vs Sumter Compare → Columbia vs Florence Compare → Columbia vs Wildwood Compare → Columbia vs Waterloo Compare → Columbia vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Columbia outranks 59% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#157 York-Hanover, PA 52.7 B
#158 Lubbock, TX 52.7 B
#159 Richmond, VA 52.8 B
#160 Columbia, SC 52.6 B
#161 Roanoke, VA 52.6 B
#162 Winchester, VA-WV 52.6 B
#163 Oklahoma City, OK 52.5 B

SC Metro Scores

Spartanburg, SC A 64.4 Sumter, SC A- 60.5 Florence, SC A- 60.2 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC A- 59.2 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC B+ 58.5 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC B- 52.1

Using Columbia's Life Score

Columbia is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is safety (98/100) and its weakest is environment (20/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Columbia head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Columbia lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Columbia's biggest strengths? ▼
Columbia's strongest dimensions are Safety (98/100), Childcare (71/100), Rent (52/100). Safety is top-tier nationally.
What are Columbia's weakest areas? ▼
Columbia's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (20/100), Schools (26/100), Wages (43/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Columbia compared to the national average? ▼
Columbia's Regional Price Parity is 93.7 (6.3% less than national); rent RPP 79.5.
What is the average salary in Columbia? ▼
Columbia median salary: $64,117, 383,170 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Customer Service Representatives.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Columbia's 52.6/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.