Moving to Columbus, Ohio

About Columbus, Ohio
Columbus

Columbus (, kə-LUM-bəs) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest (after Chicago), and the third-most populous U.S. state capital (after Phoenix, Arizona and Austin, Texas). Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. It is the core city of the Columbus metropolitan area, which encompasses ten counties in central Ohio. It had a population of 2.139 million in 2020, making it the largest metropolitan area entirely in Ohio and 32nd-largest metro area in the U.S.

Columbus originated as numerous Native American settlements on the banks of the Scioto River. Franklinton, now a city neighborhood, was the first European settlement, laid out in 1797. The city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and laid out to become the state capital. The city was named for Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. The city assumed the function of state capital in 1816 and county seat in 1824. Amid steady years of growth and industrialization, the city has experienced numerous floods and recessions. Beginning in the 1950s, Columbus began to experience significant growth; it became the largest city in Ohio in land and population by the early 1990s. Growth has continued in the 21st century, with redevelopment occurring in numerous city neighborhoods, including Downtown.

The city has a diverse economy without reliance on any one sector. The metropolitan area is home to the Battelle Memorial Institute, the world's largest private research and development foundation; Chemical Abstracts Service, the world's largest clearinghouse of chemical information; and the Ohio State University, one of the largest universities in the United States. The Greater Columbus area is further home to the headquarters of six Fortune 500 companies, namely Cardinal Health, American Electric Power, Bath & Body Works, Inc., Nationwide, Bread Financial and Huntington Bancshares.

Gender
Gender Columbus Ohio Country
Female 51.2% 51% 50.8%
Male 48.8% 49% 49.2%
Gender

Household Income


Income Columbus Ohio Country
Less than $10,000 7.6% 6.6% 5.8%
$10,000 to $14,999 4.1% 4.4% 4.1%
$15,000 to $24,999 9.2% 9.5% 8.5%
$25,000 to $34,999 10.1% 9.6% 8.6%
$35,000 to $49,999 14.6% 13.3% 12.0%
$50,000 to $74,999 19.4% 18.4% 17.2%
$75,000 to $99,999 13.2% 13% 12.8%
$100,000 to $149,999 13.8% 14.4% 15.6%
$150,000 to $199,999 4.5% 5.6% 7.1%
$200,000 or more 3.4% 5.2% 8.3%
Education


Education Columbus Ohio Country
< 9th Grade 3% 2% 5.0%
9-12th Grade 7% 7% 7.0%
High School or GED 25% 33% 27.0%
Other College 20% 20% 20.0%
Associate's Degree 7% 9% 9%
Bachelor's Degree 24% 18% 20.0%
Master's Degree 10% 8% 9.0%
Professional Degree 2% 2% 2.0%
Doctorate Degree 2% 1% 1.0%
Household Income
Education
Race / Ethnicity


Ethnicity Columbus Ohio Country
White 54.3% 78.3% 60.1%
African American 28.9% 12.2% 12.2%
American Indian 0.1% 0.1% 0.6%
Asian 5.9% 2.3% 5.6%
Hawaiian 0% 0% 0.2%
Other 0.4% 0.3% 0.3%
Multiracial 4% 2.9% 2.8%
Hispanic 6.3% 3.9% 18.2%
Race / Ethnicity