AreaProfile

Columbus, OH

Metro Area Profile

2,175,788 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Columbus, OH metropolitan area.

79
Area Score
Top 7% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 9% of 99 published metros84
GrowthTop 34% of 99 published metros60
Housing affordabilityTop 36% of 99 published metros91
Climate56th of 99 published metros68
Physical resilienceTop 22% of 99 published metros77
AccessTop 8% of 99 published metros99
Economic stabilityTop 36% of 99 published metros79
The quick read

Columbus ranks in the top 9% of published metro profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.3% and median household income of $81,945.

Residential permitting has slowed: 13,239 units authorized over the past twelve months, 17% below the prior year.

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published metro profiles, placing Columbus in the top 22% for physical resilience.

At a glance

Population
2,175,788
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$81,945
Top 15% nationally
Density
454/sq mi
4797.4 sq mi of land
Median age
36.7
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Columbus, OH
Nearest major airport
CMH
4 mi · John Glenn Columbus Intl
Median home value
$300,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.3% is lower than 90% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment grew 0.1% over the past year, to 1,137,873 employed residents.

40% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 89% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$776$81,945Top 15%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$370$44,770Top 14%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate12.3%Bottom 37%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute25.3 minTop 36%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher39.8%Top 11%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment1,137,873Top 32%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)2.8%Top 21%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)0.1%Top 22%June 2026
Labor force1,177,229Top 33%June 2026
Labor force participation67.5%Top 8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$67,270Top 39%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$51,340Top 34%2025 OEWS
Metro employment1,105,580Top 30%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-1.2%Bottom 2%June 2026
Unemployment rate3.3%Bottom 10%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/065.52.8
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.3% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Columbus, OH
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers31,590$28,670
Registered Nurses30,510$83,900
Stockers and Order Fillers30,130$39,040
General and Operations Managers29,070$102,590
Home Health and Personal Care Aides27,580$34,880
Retail Salespersons26,850$33,780

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,274 takes 19% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.7 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
18.7%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.7×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,274
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$300,800
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.67Top 34%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate61.3%Bottom 11%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±398926,466Top 4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$9$1,274Top 18%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,290$300,800Top 25%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income18.7%Top 45%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate6.7%Bottom 13%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
60/ 100
Top 34% of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 4% since 2020, reaching 2,225,377 in 2024.

At 6.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
13K
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
6.2
Top 27% nationally
Year over year
−17%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
53.6%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320242225k2142k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 85°F and January a low of 22°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 41.6 inches, including 28.2 inches of snow.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station COLUMBUS PORT COLUMBUS INTL AP, 2.9 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation41.6"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall28.2"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low22°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high85°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing46°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

77 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are tornado and hail.

HailModerate
TornadoModerate

Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, winter weather, heat wave, lightning, ice storm, strong wind, earthquake, cold wave, landslide, drought, hurricane, wildfire.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

6 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 4 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
John Glenn Columbus IntlCMH4 mi10,114 ft
Rickenbacker IntlLCK12 mi11,902 ft
Mansfield Lahm RgnlMFD61 mi9,001 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
79
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

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