Columbus, Ohio has seen an incredible population growth in the 2023-2024 year, dominating over all other cities in the country.
According to MacroTrends, “The metro area population of Columbus in 2023 was 1,708,000, a 1.24% increase from 2022. The metro area population of Columbus in 2022 was 1,687,000, a 1.26% increase from 2021.”
A study released by the Bank of America Institute shows Columbus’s incredible growth rate and its place as the fastest-growing city in the U.S.
MORPC predicts Columbus’s population will increase by approximately 1% annually through 2050.
Columbus grew faster than any other city in the nation during the second half of 2023 and the population only seems to continue to grow.
According to Wexner Medical OSU, “…Columbus is the 14th largest city in the United States and the second largest in the Midwest behind Chicago.”
Alycia Thompson, a university student from the Niagara Falls area, said a big difference is, “being able to live in a city where you can walk to a store. It’s just really different from what I’ve known, so I’ve enjoyed that so far.”
One of the influences to make Columbus home is the growing job market. Over 300 corporations’ headquarters reside in the city.
Another reason found was that the cost of living had been cheaper for a lot of other cities.
According to RentCafe, “The cost of living in Columbus, OH is same as the state average and 8% lower than the national average”
The cost of housing in Columbus is 15% lower than the national average, transportation is 10% lower and healthcare is 15% lower.
Because of the rise in inflation, many Americans are looking for ways to save money. In this case, their choice is to move to a city where it is less expensive to live.
Adham Hamed, a university student native to New York City, found Columbus is a far more realistic place to live than the Big Apple.
Hamed said, “From what I’ve noticed, now that I’m older, it is a lot cheaper [in Ohio], it’s a lot more accessible than when we were in New York, it was hard to get places. It was like walking everywhere. If you couldn’t walk, driving was tough. Being in Ohio is a lot easier, you can choose your mode of transportation.”
Additionally, Columbus is home to many unique and highly impressive universities.
Out-of-state students make up 10.07% of the university’s population and 1.14% come from out of the country.
At the university’s neighboring school, the Ohio State University, out-of-state students make up a whopping 23% of the total student population.
Thompson said, “When I first told a bunch of my friends and everyone that I was going to Columbus, Ohio for school, they were like, ‘Oh, Ohio.’”
Thompson said, “Don’t let the label of Ohio deter you from coming here.”
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Sagel is a second year Communications & Philosophy major. She is Class Senator & Committee Chair in Student Government, an Exec for the Muslim Student Association and Creative Writing Club, and an Alternative RA. In her free time, she loves to write.
