Columbus, Ohio population is 938,396 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #15 nationally and #1 in Ohio. Cost of living runs 4.5% below the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $96,838/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
At a glance.
2025 population
938,396
+7,696 in the last year
Top 1% of 19,483 U.S. cities
Census Vintage 2025
Cost of living
RPP 95.5
−4.5% vs US
Columbus, OH metro · BEA 2024
Family-of-4 budget
$96,838/yr
+21% vs US
Modeled 2025 · federal sources
Median HH income
$66,082
−15% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
Median home value
$252,900
−17% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
2-BR fair-market rent
$1,430/mo
HUD FY2026 · 40th pct
Avg July high
85°F
NOAA 1991–2020
Gigabit broadband
31%
ISP-reported, FCC BDC
How many people live in Columbus?
938,396 people live in Columbus as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #15 largest U.S. city.
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 3.6% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 906,215 → 2025: 938,396 (+3.6%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
906,215
April 1, 2020
2020
906,675
July 1, 2020
2021
902,800
July 1, 2021
2022
910,713
July 1, 2022
2023
919,569
July 1, 2023
2024
930,700
July 1, 2024
2025
938,396
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 13.6% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Columbus is the #15 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #1 in Ohio.
▸ Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
906,215
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+32,181
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+3.6%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+7,696
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.8%
within V2025 only
Density
4,228
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
221.9
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#15
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#1
of 924 in Ohio
What is the median household income in Columbus?
Median household income is 15% below the U.S. median ($66,082 vs $77,719); 18.1% live in poverty — 5.6 points above the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$66,082
US
Columbus: $66,082 — 15% below the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Columbus
$66,082
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Columbus from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
66,082-15.0% vs US
±974
Per capita income
37,860-12.5% vs US
±464
Population in poverty
18.1%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 17% below the U.S. median ($252,900 vs $303,400); median rent is 4% below ($1,295 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio (3.8×) is roughly in line with the U.S. median (3.9×).
Median home value$252,900
US
Columbus: $252,900 — 17% below the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,430/mo
US
Columbus: $1,430/mo — 33% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Columbus. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.1%
Columbus (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
506,588
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
18.3%+30.9% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Columbus spans 3 counties; all are listed (no weighted average):
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Delaware County
4.3%
$136,215
3.6%
Fairfield County
8.1%
$90,728
4.0%
Franklin County
13.9%
$76,578
4.0%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Columbus's linked 3 counties in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
142,664
$1,159 / wk
#2
Retail trade (44-45)
86,266
$790 / wk
#3
Accommodation and food services (72)
81,872
$516 / wk
#4
Professional and technical services (54)
59,813
$2,043 / wk
#5
Administrative and waste services (56)
54,230
$967 / wk
What workers earn in the Columbus, OH metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Fast Food and Counter Workers is the largest tracked occupation in the Columbus, OH metro (31,590 jobs, median $28,670/yr).
▸ Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Fast Food and Counter Workers
31,590
$28,670
$13.78
Stockers and Order Fillers
30,130
$39,040
$18.77
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
27,580
$34,880
$16.77
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
25,800
$41,200
$19.81
Customer Service Representatives
18,550
$46,350
$22.28
Office Clerks, General
18,110
$44,830
$21.55
Cashiers
17,790
$30,140
$14.49
Registered Nurses · benchmark
30,510
$83,900
$40.34
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
29,070
$102,590
$49.32
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
26,850
$33,780
$16.24
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
16,110
$61,720
$29.68
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 4.5% below the U.S. average (RPP 95.5); rents run 12.1% below (RPP 87.9) — the metro's housing affordability is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 95.5
US
Columbus's cost of living runs 4.5% below the U.S. average (RPP 95.5 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 95.5
−4.5% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Columbus, OH metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,430/mo
FY2026 · Columbus, OH HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
3.50%
3 brackets · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$8,070/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources
Single-adult monthly budget total
$4,434/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax
—
not applicable in Ohio · no modeled local income tax
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
15.0% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (6.0% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Columbus's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
15 districts serve Columbus, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts. Expand the list below to see every district sorted primary first. See methodology §12.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Columbus?
Hottest month: July (85°F avg high). Coldest: January (21°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 41.5 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Columbus from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk spans 72.6–98.1/100 across 3 counties; most-cited top hazard is Hail (in 1 of 3).
Natural-hazard exposure for Columbus from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
Columbus spans 3 counties. We list each separately because hurricane, flood, and fire risk varies meaningfully across county lines — manufacturing a single “city-level” risk score would hide that signal.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Delaware County
78.8
Relatively Low
Hail 89.4 Relatively Moderate · Winter Weather 87.8 Relatively High · Ice Storm 86.8 Relatively High
Cold Wave 99.2 Very High · Heat Wave 98.9 Relatively High · Riverine Flooding 98.8 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Columbus?
21 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 31% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Columbus from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
21 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
19
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
32.0%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
31.2%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
454,335
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Columbus?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 3,981 violent and 24,290 property offenses in the Columbus jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 434.9 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Columbus — an FBI jurisdiction population of 915,447, versus the Census place population of 938,396. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
3,981
434.9
359.1
Property crime
24,290
2,653.3
1,760.1
▸ Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
112
Rape
1,137
Robbery
803
Aggravated assault
1,929
Burglary
3,703
Larceny-theft
15,618
Motor vehicle theft
4,969
Arson (12-month reporters only)
17
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
450.0
3,484.3
907,196
2023
385.1
2,704.0
908,834
2024
434.9
2,653.3
915,447
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Columbus · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Columbus sits at state rank #1 among 924 cities in Ohio. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Charlotte, NC · #14 · 964,784 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Indianapolis, IN · #16 · 910,638 residents.
Quick travel facts for Columbus
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
John Glenn Columbus International Airport(CMH) ·
5 mi 8 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Sep, Oct · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Columbus.
How many people live in Columbus, OH?
Columbus has 938,396 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #15 largest city in the United States and #1 in Ohio. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Columbus growing or shrinking?
Columbus has grown 3.6% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 32,181 residents, including a 0.8% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Columbus's population in the 2020 census?
Columbus spans Delaware County, Fairfield County, Franklin County in Ohio.
How big is Columbus?
Columbus covers 221.9 square miles of land, with a population density of about 4,228 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Columbus?
$66,082, about 15% below the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID3918000
Last build2026-07-05
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Columbus is 3918000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
