Columbus, OH

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population

2.18M

US Senator

Bernie Moreno

Republican Party

US Senator

Jon Husted

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.7

0.273% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.3%

0.112% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$81,945

2.63% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$300,800

9.66% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

1.12M

0.946% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Columbus, OH reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

95.1% of the residents in Columbus, OH are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Columbus, OH are Ohio State University-Main Campus (16,837 degrees awarded in 2023), Columbus State Community College (5,217 degrees), and Franklin University (2,204 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Columbus, OH was $300,800, and the homeownership rate was 61.3%.

Most people in Columbus, OH drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Columbus, OH was 2 cars per household.

Columbus, OH borders Athens, OH, Bellefontaine, OH, Bucyrus, OH, Chillicothe, OH, Coshocton, OH, Dayton, OH, Mansfield, OH, Marion, OH, Mount Vernon, OH, Springfield, OH, Urbana, OH, Washington Court House, OH, and Zanesville, OH.

Photo by Bruce Faling

United States Ohio

Population & Diversity

Columbus, OH is home to a population of 2.18M people, from which 95.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 9.42% of Columbus, OH residents were born outside of the country (205k people).

In 2024, there were 4.28 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.48M people) in Columbus, OH than any other race or ethnicity. There were 346k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 110k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.1%

2024 Citizenship

95.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.1% of Columbus, OH residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Columbus, OH was 95.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Columbus, OH compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Columbus, OH

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.48M ± 1.77k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
346k ± 2.75k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
110k ± 1.53k

5.63%

Hispanic Population

123k people

5.63% of the people in Columbus, OH are hispanic (123k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Columbus, OH as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Ohio.

Most Common Origin

India
66,106 ± 6,295 people
Mexico
45,962 ± 5,253 people
China
32,703 ± 4,434 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Ohio was India, the natal country of 66,106 Ohio residents, followed by Mexico with 45,962 and China with 32,703.

Foreign-Born Population

9.42%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

205k people

9.02%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

194k people

As of 2024, 9.42% of Columbus, OH residents (205k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Columbus, OH was 9.02%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Columbus, OH compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
29,247 ± 1,112
Gulf War (2001-)
24,315 ± 1,529
Gulf War (1990s)
16,409 ± 1,038

Columbus, OH has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.2 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Columbus, OH.

Economy

The economy of Columbus, OH employs 1.12M people. In 2024, the largest industries in Columbus, OH were Health Care & Social Assistance (169,572 people), Retail Trade (123,952 people), and Educational Services (102,681 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($99,167), Utilities ($96,284), and Finance & Insurance ($83,815).

Employment

Occupations

1.12M

2024 Value

± 9,198

0.946%

1 Year growth

± 1.14%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbus, OH grew at a rate of 0.946%, from 1.11M employees to 1.12M employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbus, OH, are Management Occupations (137,329 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (120,629 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (93,851 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Columbus, OH.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Ohio.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Ohio (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

1.12M

2024 Value

± 9,198

0.946%

1 Year growth

± 1.14%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbus, OH grew at a rate of 0.946%, from 1.11M employees to 1.12M employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbus, OH, are Health Care & Social Assistance (169,572 people), Retail Trade (123,952 people), and Educational Services (102,681 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Columbus, OH, though some of these residents may live in Columbus, OH and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$58,792

Median earning men ± $767

$46,535

Median earning women ± $530

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($92,724), Public Administration ($86,366), and Information ($75,155).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($67,237), Public Administration ($66,831), and Information ($56,996).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Ohio.

Y-Axis

1.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 5.51M people employed in Ohio. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 15.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Ohio.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

3,477
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
2,483
Other Services (except Public Administration)
2,266
Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$9.26M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$7.58M
Finance and Insurance
$5.85M
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Ohio went to Donald J. Trump with 55.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (43.9%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.489%).

Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted are the senators currently representing the state of Ohio. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Ohio is currently represented by 15 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Columbus, OH. Showing the available data for Ohio.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (55.1%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (43.9%)
Democratic Party
Chase Oliver (0.489%)
Libertarian Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Ohio went to Donald J. Trump with 55.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (43.9%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.489%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Ohio for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Ohio

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Ohio.

Bernie Moreno

Senator from Ohio

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Jon Husted

Senator from Ohio

Assumed office on January 21, 2025
While elections for full class 3 terms will take place in 2028, Ohio will hold a special election in 2026 to elect a senator to complete the remainder of JD Vance's term.

Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted are the senators currently representing Ohio.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Ohio over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Columbus, OH awarded 34,786 degrees. The student population of Columbus, OH in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 53,996 male students and 69,887 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Columbus, OH are White (20,798 and 63.2%), Black or African American (4,966 and 15.1%), Hispanic or Latino (1,965 and 5.97%), and Asian (1,906 and 5.8%).

The largest universities in Columbus, OH by number of degrees awarded are Ohio State University-Main Campus (16,837 and 48.4%), Columbus State Community College (5,217 and 15%), and Franklin University (2,204 and 6.34%).

The most popular majors in Columbus, OH are Registered Nursing (2,108 and 6.06%), General Business Administration & Management (1,525 and 4.38%), and Computer Systems Networking & Telecommunications (1,437 and 4.13%).

The median tuition costs in Columbus, OH are $33,760 for private four year colleges, and $7,558 and $21,807 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Columbus, OH, the percentage of applicants admitted was 48.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 22.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 123,883 (43.6% men and 56.4% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 123,883 students enrolled in Columbus, OH, 43.6% men and 56.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 68,841 records, of which 55.8% were women and 44.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Finance
874 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
840 degrees awarded
Experimental Psychology
668 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Columbus, OH was General Finance with 874 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Columbus, OH according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Ohio State University-Main Campus
16,837 degrees awarded
Columbus State Community College
5,217 degrees awarded
Franklin University
2,204 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Ohio State University-Main Campus with 16,837 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 15,334 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Columbus, OH, which is 0.788 times less than the 19,452 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 20,798 degrees mean that there were 4.19 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 4,966 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($33,760) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($2,042) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private for-profit, 2-year ($1,988) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Columbus, OH was $300,800 in 2024, which is 0.904 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $274,300 to $300,800, a 9.66% increase. The homeownership rate in Columbus, OH is 61.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Columbus, OH have an average commute time of 23.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Columbus, OH is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$300,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$2,290

$530,433

Median Property Taxes

±$4,970

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Columbus, OH the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Columbus, OH compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

61.3%

Homeownership

2024

62.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 61.3% of the housing units in Columbus, OH were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 61.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Columbus, OH compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$81,945

Median Household Income

± $776

865k

Number of Households

± 7,530

In 2024, the median household income of the 865k households in Columbus, OH grew to $81,945 from the previous year's value of $79,847.

The following chart displays the households in Columbus, OH distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Columbus, OH is from Ohio.

0.453

2023 Wage GINI in Ohio

0.456

2022 Wage GINI in Ohio

In 2023, the income inequality in Ohio was 0.453 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.645% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Ohio was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Ohio in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Ohio across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (70%)
Worked At Home (18.8%)
Carpooled (6.88%)

In 2024, 70% of workers in Columbus, OH drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (18.8%) and those who carpooled to work (6.88%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbus, OH have a shorter commute time (23.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.46% of the workforce in Columbus, OH have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Columbus, OH compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Columbus, OH distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Columbus, OH have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbus, OH (260k out of 2.12M people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Columbus, OH is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

92.4% of the population of Columbus, OH has health coverage, with 54.2% on employee plans, 16.8% on Medicaid, 10.7% on Medicare, 9.62% on non-group plans, and 1.06% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Ohio see 1,328 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,328 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1535 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 286 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Ohio.

1,328 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Ohio

Primary care physicians in Ohio see an average of 1,328 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,328 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Ohio in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.9% under 18 years, 22.8% between 18 and 34 years, 38.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.61%

Uninsured

54.2%

Employer Coverage

16.8%

Medicaid

10.7%

Medicare

9.62%

Non-Group

1.06%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Columbus, OH grew by 3.54% from 7.35% to 7.61%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Columbus, OH changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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