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Place dossier plate
SheetNE-COLUMBUS-NE · Columbus, NE 24,188 pop · income 46th pct · 8 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Columbus
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Columbus on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
West Memphis · lowest
41,860
West Memphis · lowest
41,860 median HH income
33.0% of the leader · rank #1
Orebank · near
67,207
Orebank · near
67,207 median HH income
53.0% of the leader · rank #2
Springfield · near
67,211
Springfield · near
67,211 median HH income
53.0% of the leader · rank #3
Columbus · this city
67,212
Columbus · this city
67,212 median HH income
53.0% of the leader · rank #4
Creston · near
67,212
Creston · near
67,212 median HH income
53.0% of the leader · rank #5
Prineville La… · near
67,216
Prineville La… · near
67,216 median HH income
53.0% of the leader · rank #6
North Haven · highest
126,807
North Haven · highest
126,807 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Columbus on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 24,188.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Columbus - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Columbus lands in the 46th percentile for household income and the 63rd percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
46th
percentile, household income
43rd
percentile, home value
15th
percentile, median rent
63rd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Columbus, NE
Nebraska's Columbus is a small city, with 24,188 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Households in Columbus report a median income of $67,212 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.4%. Columbus's housing stock carries a median value of $198,900, and the median resident age is 37.7 years. 23.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 68.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 96 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 70% from five years earlier. Columbus reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1012.4 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Columbus's yearly average temperature at 50.5°F with 28.7 inches of precipitation per year and 25.6 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Nebraska run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Nebraska at 90.1 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,001 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $207 across Nebraska, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. The average commute for Columbus workers runs 13.6 minutes, with 82.4% driving alone and 4.6% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 25.8 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Columbus's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to work and mobility to housing and income to climate and hazard context to within-city variation to population change to schools and households to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Columbus, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, commute-mode shares.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Columbus?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1012.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 56% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
What does the journey to work look like in Columbus?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 82.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 13.6 minutes.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
Which cities make useful reference points for Columbus?
Within Nebraska, the closest population matches are Papillion (24,063 residents, $109,602 income); Hastings (25,005 residents, $61,202 income); North Platte (23,030 residents, $57,805 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Johnston, IA (24,196 residents); Liberty Triangle, FL (24,178 residents); North Haven, CT (24,177 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Columbus?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 7.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Household income
$67,212
Home value
$198,900
Value / income
3.0×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 50.5°F, with 28.7 inches of precipitation and 25.6 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Nebraska is 25.8 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
50.5°F
Annual precipitation
28.7 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
25.8
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
Is Columbus growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,160 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +4.8% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 96 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+4.8%
2025 estimate
25,248
2020 estimate
24,088
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
The NCES join finds 11 public schools within the city match. 23.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
11
Bachelor's degree+
23.3%
Poverty estimate
7.4%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Below median income · poverty 7.4% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.1 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Nebraska average
C+
City profile score · Columbus, NE
60/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A
90.1 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime B
85 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate C-
7.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income D
$67,212
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share D
23.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Columbus profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.1 index
Violent crime: 74/100 (B) · 85 /100k
Poverty rate: 50/100 (C-) · 7.4%
Household income: 45/100 (D) · $67,212
Bachelor's+ share: 44/100 (D) · 23.3%
Where Columbus sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Columbus's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Columbus highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Columbus, NE (this city): home $198,900, crime 1,012/100k
Johnston, IA : home $346,200, crime 826/100k
North Haven, CT : home $360,100, crime 2,662/100k
Westmont, IL : home $369,100, crime 1,106/100k
West Memphis, AR : home $119,100, crime 6,580/100k
Papillion, NE : home $290,900, crime 1,038/100k
Hastings, NE : home $177,200, crime 2,325/100k
North Platte, NE : home $159,500, crime 2,730/100k
Norfolk, NE : home $199,100, crime 1,346/100k
Fremont, NE : home $194,400, crime 2,071/100k
La Vista, NE : home $244,900, crime 1,234/100k
How does Columbus compare to other US cities?
Here's how Columbus stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income46% higher than other cities
Home value43% pricier than other cities
Median rent15% pricier than other cities
Safety63% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Nebraska alone, Columbus ranks #19 of 44 Nebraska cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Columbus against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Nebraska only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Nebraska-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Columbus near the bottom of Nebraska's cities
Among the 450 Nebraska cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Columbus ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Columbus only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#195 of 439
56th percentile in Nebraska
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 450
0th percentile in Nebraska
Median Home Value
#53 of 438
88th percentile in Nebraska
Poverty Rate
#182 of 450
59th percentile in Nebraska
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#169 of 450
62nd percentile in Nebraska
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Nebraska only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
46th percentile nationally for median household income · 63rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Columbus's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Columbus's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Columbus's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$198,900Among the most affordablemore affordable than 57% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. 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 U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Columbus's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,469 of 15,516
More affordable than 58% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#846 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.0×, Columbus sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,469 of 15,516 and #846 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$67,212Columbus, NE median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Columbus, NE median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Columbus, NE.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)23.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)7.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)68.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
24,188
Median Income
$67,212
Median Home Value
$198,900
Median Age
37.7
Poverty Rate
7.4%
Labor force participation
68.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
23.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1012.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
85.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
927.0
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
50.5°F
Annual Precipitation
28.7"
Annual Snowfall
25.6"
Schools
Total Schools
11
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Columbus's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
24,088 residents
2021
24,142 residents
2022
24,396 residents
2023
24,897 residents
2024
25,220 residents
2025
25,248 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
96
housing units authorized
Single-Family
69
detached homes
Multifamily
27
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
321
71
250
$47.0M
2020
105
47
58
$25.2M
2021
88
86
2
$25.7M
2022
77
60
17
$19.0M
2023
55
47
8
$16.6M
2024
96
69
27
$29.8M
Permit volume decreased 70% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
13.6 minutes
Drive Alone
82.4%
Carpool
9.3%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.3%
Work from Home
4.6%
Other
1.4%
Based on 12,416 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Nebraska statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $207
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Nebraska at $207 (electricity about $100 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Nebraska statewide averages, not a meter reading for Columbus. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Nebraska's BEA cost-of-living index is 90.1 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Columbus is $1,001/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Nebraska statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 25.8 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Nebraska statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Columbus sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Columbus compares to similar-size Nebraska cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.