PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Columbus, OH

51.0
Life Score / 100
B-
Grade (curved)
#180
of 387 metros
53%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

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

The verdict

Columbus ranks #180 of 387 US metros, ahead of 53% - carried by its schools (81/100) and held back most by environment (21/100).

81
strongest: Schools
77
then: Wages
21
weakest: Environment
7
weighted dimensions

Where Columbus sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

51 53th percentile higher than 53% 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 Columbus Life Score

Columbus's composite score of 51.0 out of 100, a grade of B-, places the metro at rank #180 of 387, ahead of 53% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (81/100) and Wages (77/100), which pull the composite upward, while Environment (21/100) and Childcare (32/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 95.5 (rent-RPP 87.9). BLS median salary $70,997, 1,092,320 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Stockers and Order Fillers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,430/mo (studio $1,111).

FBI UCR (OH): 293 violent, 1545 property/100K. NCES: 18.2:1 ratio, 9.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $11,791/yr. EPA: 50 Superfund sites (OH). Ranks #177-#183 below.

Dimension detail

How Columbus scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 41/100 (20%)
Wages 77/100 (20%)
Rent 35/100 (15%)
Safety 58/100 (15%)
Schools 81/100 (10%)
Childcare 32/100 (10%)
Environment 21/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

95.5
Cost Index (RPP)
$70,997
Avg Median Salary
$1,430
2BR Fair Market Rent
293
Violent Crime/100K (OH)
18.2:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$11,791
Infant Childcare/yr (OH)
50
Superfund Sites (OH)
1,092,320
Total Employment

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

Compare Columbus With...

Columbus vs Wheeling Compare → Columbus vs Toledo Compare → Columbus vs Youngstown Compare → Columbus vs Wildwood Compare → Columbus vs Waterloo Compare → Columbus vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Columbus outranks 53% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#177 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 51.1 B-
#178 Michigan City-La Porte, IN 51.3 B-
#179 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA 51.4 B-
#180 Columbus, OH 51.0 B-
#181 Homosassa Springs, FL 51.0 B-
#182 Laredo, TX 50.8 B-
#183 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA 50.8 B-

OH Metro Scores

Wheeling, WV-OH A+ 68.2 Toledo, OH A+ 66.3 Youngstown-Warren, OH A 65.8 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH A 65.7 Sandusky, OH A- 61.4 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH A- 60.5

Using Columbus's Life Score

Columbus 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 schools (81/100) and its weakest is environment (21/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Columbus head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Columbus 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 Columbus's biggest strengths? ▼
Columbus's strongest dimensions are Schools (81/100), Wages (77/100), Safety (58/100). Schools is top-tier nationally.
What are Columbus's weakest areas? ▼
Columbus's lowest-scoring dimensions are Environment (21/100), Childcare (32/100), Rent (35/100). Environment weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Columbus compared to the national average? ▼
Columbus's Regional Price Parity is 95.5 (4.5% less than national); rent RPP 87.9.
What is the average salary in Columbus? ▼
Columbus median salary: $70,997, 1,092,320 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Stockers and Order Fillers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Columbus's 51.0/100 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.