Mexico, MO vs Columbia, MO

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricMexico, MOColumbia, MO
Population11,477128,548
Median Household Income$50,873$66,498
Median Rent$686/mo$1,097/mo
Median Home Value$139,800$284,600
Cost of Living (US = 100)—89
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income42.1%48.7%
Poverty Rate17.8%19.3%
Unemployment Rate3.9% (county)3.6%
Violent Crime Rate /100k278359
Property Crime Rate /100k2,0271,891
Median AQI—37
Good AQI Days /yr——
Summer Highs86°F87°F
Winter Lows22°F25°F
Snowfall19 in/yr17 in/yr
Avg Commute18.8 min16.4 min
Hospitals—4
Avg Hospital Rating—3.7 / 5
Students per Teacher14.413.6
College Degree Rate17.2%56.7%
Foreign-Born %1.2%8.1%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+0.8%+3.8%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.