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Columbus, Indiana

Columbus is a small city of about 53,000 people in Bartholomew County, Indiana. It's the county seat. It has grown about 4% since 2020. A typical home costs about 3.2 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Indianapolis, is about 41 miles away as the crow flies.

County seatSmall city

Population
52,655
up 4.2% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$244,200
Bartholomew County prices up 16% since 2022
Household income
$77,456
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Columbus area
93
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
In town
Columbus Regional Hospital
To Indianapolis
41 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 7% below the U.S. average in the Columbus metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood41 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.8 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 12.1 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town14 public schools: 9 elementary, 2 middle, 2 high schools and 1 other.
  • A hospital close byColumbus Regional Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityIndianapolis is about 41 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Columbus meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$244,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 16%Bartholomew County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,157 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$77,456U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
61%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$2,037 a yearIndiana: $1,614
Homes built before 1940
9%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
18%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
93U.S. average = 100 (the Columbus metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 16% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Columbus metro area, not Columbus alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
52,6552020: 50,538
Median age
36.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
24%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
40%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
8%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Manufacturing (32%); schools, health care and social services (19%); professional and business services (11%)
Unemployment rate
5%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
19 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
16%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
11%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Columbus Regional Hospital, Columbus, IN, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

14 public schools in Columbus, run by Bartholomew Con School Corp.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Indiana's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
82%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
94%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
22°F
July average high
86°F
Days 90°F or hotter
22 a year
Nights at or below freezing
108 a year
Rain and melted snow
47.3 inches a year
Snow
16 inches a year
Elevation
629 feet

Weather station: Columbus (3 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Greenwood, Indianapolis.

Bartholomew County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

22 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the First Baptist Church, the First Christian Church, Irwin Union Bank and Trust and the Mabel McDowell Elementary School. Three are National Historic Landmarks, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

Read about Columbus's history on Wikipedia.

Know Columbus?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Bethel Village, IN (unincorporated)393 people, 4 miles
  • Walesboro, IN (unincorporated)331 people, 4 miles
  • Petersville, IN (unincorporated)134 people, 6 miles
  • Harrison Lake, IN (unincorporated)144 people, 6 miles
  • Clifford, IN212 people, 6 miles
  • Mineral Springs, IN (unincorporated)742 people, 6 miles
  • Taylorsville, IN (unincorporated)1,248 people, 6 miles
  • Waynesville, IN (unincorporated)116 people, 7 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.