Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Columbus's D covers 938,396 people, and the city's neighborhoods vary far more than any single grade can show. It ranks 933rd of 987 graded places in Ohio. It is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns. What weighs on its grade: it reports more crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns, including 3,517 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and its schools rank behind 75% of the state's. 52% of working residents work locally in Columbus, where Ohio’s towns sit at 6.8% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Ohio Statehouse and Ohio Theatre.
Where Columbus beats most towns.
Ohio Theatre| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Ohio State University-Main Campus | 56,206 |
| Columbus State Community College | 20,012 |
| Ohio Dominican University | 1,085 |
Ohio Theatre is one of 3 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 183 National Register listings are more than in any other Ohio town with a listing.
Census counts: 1,450 in 1820, 905,748 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1822 and 2 maps from 1947 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Columbus is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Columbus. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town Stadium & arenaOhio Stadium
in town Stadium & arenaHistoric Crew Stadium
in town Stadium & arenaScottsMiracle-Gro Field
in town Stadium & arenaValue City Arena
14 mi Zoo & aquariumColumbus Zoo and Aquarium
3 mi MuseumOhio Governor's MansionOhio Stadium: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Historic Crew Stadium: Rick Dikeman, CC BY-SA 3.0 · ScottsMiracle-Gro Field: Nova Crystallis, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Value City Arena: Nick81aku at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: Adolphus79 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Ohio Governor's Mansion: Bwsmith84 (talk), CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Columbus, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Columbus.
Columbus is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it trails Plain Township and its other neighbors on schools and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
138 miles of trail in 290 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Three Creeks Metro Park, 1,151 acres with 5 miles of trail. Columbus’ trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Columbus | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.5% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blendon Woods Metro Park | 6.7 mi | 660 |
| 2. Franklin Park | 5.3 mi | 83 |
| 3. Three Creeks Metro Park | 5 mi | 1,151 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 7 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C, Plain Township highest at A.
Its public schools are run by the Columbus City Schools District. Three of its 268 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Simpson Davis Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 890 | B− |
| KIPP ColumbusLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,945 | C− |
| Bluffsview Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 399 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OH on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 28,075 to 27,039 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Columbus is 25 per 1,000 residents. Columbus reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less. The violent crime rate in Columbus is 3.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Columbus | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 25 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Only 44.1% of households own their home, against 67.2% across Ohio.
Adults 18 to 34 are 31% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 11% of residents (18% statewide). Columbus has grown 3.6% since 2020, to 938,396 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Columbus | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.2 years | 41.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 24% | 29% |
50.8% women, 49.2% men
About 97 men for every 100 women. Across Ohio, 50.7% of residents are women. Median age: women 33.6, men 32.9.
| Columbus | OH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.3% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.3% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 20.1% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.8% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.3% | 13.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.2% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.1% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.3% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.3% | 32.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 19.3% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.2% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.1% | 19.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.1% | 12.2% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Columbus has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 21° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
429 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 46 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 429 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Columbus.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
18% of workers work from home in Columbus. Jobs based in Columbus grew to 522,674 in 2023, 56,118 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Dublin (4%), Westerville (3%) and Grove City (2%).
| Columbus | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 18% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,099 U.S. towns with household incomes like Columbus’s, it is healthier than 64%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
40% of Columbus adults feel lonely. Columbus beats the Ohio average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 20% of Columbus adults report frequent mental distress.
| Columbus | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Columbus | OH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.7% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.3% | 7.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.9% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Columbus home is worth about $243,000, down 1.1% in a year, close to the Ohio typical home.
| Columbus | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,295 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 47% | 42% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
14 within 15 miles of the center of Columbus
About 9 of every 100 Columbus residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
12 colleges in town.
183 places in Columbus on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in Columbus.
Capital and most populous city of Ohio, United States
Columbus ( kə-LUM-bəs) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a population of 905,748 at the 2020 census, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., second-most populous city in the Midwest (after Chicago), and third-most populous U.S. state capital (after Phoenix, Arizona, and Austin, Texas). The Columbus metropolitan area, with an estimated 2.23 million residents, is the largest metropolitan area entirely in Ohio and 32nd-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. Columbus originated as several Native American settlements along the Scioto River. The first Eur…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Columbus.
All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D; Hamilton Township (C+) is closest.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | #933 | D | C | D | C | B− |
| Hamilton Township | #761 | C+ | B | — | B− | C− |
| Norwich Township | #265 | A− | C− | — | B | A |
| Jackson Township | #565 | B− | C | — | C+ | B |
| Mifflin Township | #443 | B | C− | B | B | B+ |
| Madison Township | #464 | B | C+ | A | C+ | B− |
| Plain Township | #55 | A+ | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Washington Township | #155 | A | C− | — | B+ | A+ |
Hamilton Township, Norwich Township, Jackson Township, Plain Township and Washington Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Columbus with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Columbus grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #933 of 987 in Ohio. It grades B− for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
26 notable people were born here, including Simone Biles and Josh Radnor.
