Tag Archives: City population comparison

2018 Columbus Racial Diversity Comparison

Posted on by
Reply



racial diversity comparison

Yesterday, the US Census released tons of new demographic data for 2018. The next few posts will detail some of that data and how Columbus compares to Midwestern and national peers in terms of population, racial diversity and other metrics. These peers are based on either large Midwestern cities or metro areas between 1.5-2.5 million.
This post will be a racial diversity comparison, specifically.

Total Non-Hispanic White Population by City by Year
2010———————————–2018
1. Chicago: 853,910————–1. Chicago: 899,980
2. Indianapolis: 482,195———2. Columbus: 486,431
3. Columbus: 470,971———–3. Austin: 470,620
4. Jacksonville, FL: 452,926—-4. Indianapolis: 465,466
5. Portland, OR: 417,876——–5. Portland: 457,042
6. Austin: 384,065—————6. Jacksonville: 455,487
7. Virginia Beach: 282,812——7. Omaha: 307,845
8. Las Vegas: 280,604———-8. Virginia Beach: 275,371
9. Omaha, NE: 277,606———9. Las Vegas: 272,870
10. San Jose, CA: 265,311——10. Kansas City: 269,854
11. Kansas City, MO: 247,473–11. San Jose: 253,571
12. Wichita, KS: 245,146——-12. Minneapolis: 252,327
13. Minneapolis: 242,848——13. Wichita: 242,671
14. Milwaukee: 221,514——–14. Lincoln: 227,215
15. Lincoln, NE: 216,076——-15. Milwaukee: 204,250
16. Pittsburgh: 203,622——–16. Pittsburgh: 195,468
17. Fort Wayne, IN: 179,646—17. Madison: 186,034
18. Madison, WI: 178,307——18. Fort Wayne: 173,088
19. Toledo: 177,341————–19. St. Paul: 159,782
20. Sacramento, CA: 165,610–20. Sacramento: 158,333
21. St. Paul, MN: 159,704——-21. Toledo: 157,967
22. Des Moines, IA: 145,937—22. Cincinnati: 150,693
23. Cincinnati: 143,120———23. Des Moines: 137,268
24. Cleveland: 137,977———24. St. Louis: 133,688
25. St. Louis: 134,146———–25. Cleveland: 131,010
26. Grand Rapids, MI: 104,636–26. Grand Rapids: 115,719
27. Providence, RI: 64,284——27. Detroit: 72,982
28. Detroit: 55,298————–28. Providence: 58,856

Previous peers, such as San Antonio, Charlotte and Orlando were removed as their metros are now larger than the 2.5 million comparison limit.  Jacksonville, Florida entered the comparison with a metro population of just over 1.5 million in 2018.  Smaller Ohio cities like Dayton, Akron, Canton and Youngstown, which are normally compared, did not have this data available.

Total Non-Hispanic White Change 2010-2018
1. Austin: +86,555
2. Chicago: +46,070
3. Portland: +39,166
4. Omaha: +30,239
5. Kansas City: +22,381
6. Detroit: +17,684
7. Columbus: +15,460
8. Lincoln: +11,139
9. Grand Rapids: +11,083
10. Minneapolis: +9,479
11. Madison: +7,727
12. Cincinnati: +7,573
13. Jacksonville: +2,561
14. St. Paul: +28
15. St. Louis: -458
16. Wichita: -2,475
17. Providence: -5,428
18. Fort Wayne: -6,558
19. Cleveland: -6,967
20. Sacramento: -7,277
21. Virginia Beach: -7,441
22. Las Vegas: -7,734
23. Pittsburgh: -8,154
24. Des Moines: -8,669
25. San Jose: -11,740
26. Indianapolis: -16,729
27. Milwaukee: -17,264
28. Toledo: -19,374

Non-Hispanic White % of Total Population by City in 2018
1. Lincoln: 79.1%
2. Madison: 72.1%
3. Portland: 70.0%
4. Omaha: 65.7%
5. Fort Wayne: 65.5%
6. Pittsburgh: 64.9%
7. Des Moines: 63.3%
8. Wichita: 62.3%
9. Virginia Beach: 61.2%
10. Minneapolis: 59.3%
11. Grand Rapids: 57.8%
12. Toledo: 57.5%
13. Kansas City: 54.9%
14. Columbus: 54.3%
15. Indianapolis: 53.9%
16. St. Paul: 51.9%
17. Jacksonville: 50.4%
18. Cincinnati: 49.8%
19. Austin: 48.8%
20. St. Louis: 44.2%
21. Las Vegas: 42.3%
22. Milwaukee: 34.5%
23. Cleveland: 34.1%
24. Chicago: 33.3%
25. Providence: 32.8%
26. Sacramento: 31.1%
27. San Jose: 24.6%
28. Detroit: 10.9%

Total Non-Hispanic Black Population by City by Year
2010————————————2018
1.  Chicago: 895,294————1. Chicago: 784,266
2. Detroit: 587,707————–2. Detroit: 520,161
3. Jacksonville: 249,532——-3. Jacksonville: 274,290
4. Milwaukee: 230,473——–4. Columbus: 259,803
5. Indianapolis: 226,314——-5. Indianapolis: 251,958
6. Columbus: 216,486———6. Milwaukee: 222,619
7. Cleveland: 208,528———7. Cleveland: 178,909
8. St. Louis: 157,382———–8. Kansas City: 137,867
9. Kansas City: 138,461——-9. St. Louis: 137,087
10. Cincinnati: 131,909——-10. Cincinnati: 122,261
11. Virginia Beach: 79,583—11. Virginia Beach: 84,333
12. Toledo: 75,033————12. Minneapolis: 81,930
13. Pittsburgh: 71,539——-13. Austin: 78,354
14. Minneapolis: 63,749—–14. Toledo: 74,630
15. Sacramento: 61,976—–15. Pittsburgh: 68,637
16. Austin: 61,833————16. Las Vegas: 68,488
17. Las Vegas: 60,187——–17. Sacramento: 64,824
18. Omaha: 55,086———–18. Omaha: 56,503
19. Wichita: 42,662———-19. St. Paul: 44,572
20. St. Paul: 41,923———-20. Wichita: 42,874
21. Grand Rapids: 41,848—21. Fort Wayne: 40,640
22. Fort Wayne: 39,016—–22. Portland: 39,882
23. Portland: 37,355——–23. Grand Rapids: 35,264
24. San Jose: 29,831——–24. San Jose: 29,432
25. Des Moines: 19,962—-25. Providence: 26,594
26. Providence: 19,265—–26. Des Moines: 24,018
27. Madison: 17,560——–27. Madison: 20,276
28. Lincoln: 9,023———-28. Lincoln: 12,203

Total Non-Hispanic Black Change 2010-2018
1. Columbus: +43,317
2. Indianapolis: +25,644
3. Jacksonville: +24,758
4. Minneapolis: +18,181
5. Austin: +16,521
6. Las Vegas: +8,301
7. Providence: +7,329
8. Virginia Beach: +4,750
9. Des Moines: +4,056
10. Lincoln: +3,180
11. Sacramento: +2,848
12. Madison: +2,716
13. St. Paul: +2,649
14. Portland: +2,527
15. Fort Wayne: +1,624
16. Omaha: +1,417
17. Wichita: +212
18. San Jose: -399
19. Toledo: -403
20. Kansas City: -594
21. Pittsburgh: -2,902
22. Grand Rapids: -6,584
23. Milwaukee: -7,854
24. Cincinnati: -9,648
25. St. Louis: -20,295
26. Cleveland: -29,619
27. Detroit: -67,546
28. Chicago: -111,028

Non-Hispanic Black % of Total Population by City in 2018
1. Detroit: 77.3%
2. Cleveland: 46.6%
3. St. Louis: 45.3%
4. Cincinnati: 40.4%
5. Milwaukee: 37.7%
6. Jacksonville: 30.4%
7. Indianapolis: 29.2%
8. Columbus: 29.0%
9. Chicago: 29.0%
10. Kansas City: 28.0%
11. Toledo: 27.1%
12. Pittsburgh: 22.8%
13. Minneapolis: 19.3%
14. Virginia Beach: 18.7%
15. Grand Rapids: 17.6%
16. Fort Wayne: 15.4%
17. Providence: 14.8%
18. St. Paul: 14.5%
19. Sacramento: 12.8%
20. Omaha: 12.1%
21. Des Moines: 11.1%
22. Wichita: 11.0%
23. Las Vegas: 10.6%
24. Austin: 8.1%
25. Madison: 7.9%
26. Portland: 6.1%
27. Lincoln: 4.3%
28. San Jose: 2.9%

Total Non-Hispanic Asian Population by City by Year
2010——————————-2018
1. San Jose: 303,227————1. San Jose: 367,280
2. Chicago: 148,280————2. Chicago: 179,841
3. Sacramento: 84,556——–3. Sacramento: 97,192
4. Austin: 46,575—————4. Austin: 73,185
5.  Portland: 43,185————5. St. Paul: 59,395
6. St. Paul: 41,989————–6. Portland: 57,526
7. Las Vegas: 37,406———-7. Columbus: 54,902
8. Columbus: 35,468———-8. Las Vegas: 46,422
9. Jacksonville: 33,663——–9. Jacksonville: 42,639
10. Virginia Beach: 27,303—10. Virginia Beach: 31,875
11. Milwaukee: 22,670——–11. Indianapolis: 31,777
12. Minneapolis: 21,426——12. Minneapolis: 26,768
13.  Wichita: 19,420———-13. Milwaukee: 25,17
14. Indianapolis: 17,137——14. Madison: 23,594
15. Madison: 16,671———-15. Wichita: 17,410
16. Pittsburgh: 12,036——-16. Omaha: 17,185
17. Providence: 11,497——-17. Pittsburgh: 16,724
18. Lincoln: 10,452———–18. Des Moines: 15,057
19. Kansas City: 10,263—–19. Fort Wayne: 13,661
20. Des Moines: 8,867——20. Providence: 12,556
21. St. Louis: 8,717———–21. Lincoln: 12,494
22. Omaha: 8,397———–22. Kansas City: 12,130
23. Fort Wayne: 6,945—–23. St. Louis: 10,662
24. Detroit: 6,549———-24. Detroit: 10,597
25. Cincinnati: 5,938——25. Cleveland: 10,595
26. Cleveland: 5,392——26. Cincinnati: 6,999
27. Grand Rapids: 3,695–27. Grand Rapids: 4,431
28. Toledo: 3,125———-28. Toledo: 2,802

Total Non-Hispanic Asian Change 2010-2018
1. San Jose: +64,053
2. Chicago: +31,561
3. Austin: +26,610
4. Columbus: +19,434
5. St. Paul: +17,406
6. Indianapolis: +14,640
7. Portland: +14,341
8. Sacramento: +12,636
9. Las Vegas: +9,016
10. Jacksonville: +8,976
11. Omaha: +8,788
12. Madison: +6,923
13. Fort Wayne: +6,716
14. Des Moines: +6,190
15. Minneapolis: +5,342
16. Cleveland: +5,203
17. Pittsburgh: +4,688
18. Virginia Beach: +4,572
19. Detroit: +4,048
20. Milwaukee: +2,501
21. Lincoln: +2,042
22. St. Louis: +1,945
23. Kansas City: +1,867
24. Cincinnati: +1,061
25. Providence: +1,059
26. Grand Rapids: +736
27. Toledo: -323
28. Wichita: -2,010

Non-Hispanic Asian % of Total Population by City in 2018
1. San Jose: 35.7%
2. St. Paul: 19.3%
3. Sacramento: 19.1%
4. Madison: 9.1%
5. Portland: 8.8%
6. Austin: 7.6%
7. Las Vegas: 7.2%
8. Virginia Beach: 7.1%
9. Providence: 7.0%
10. Des Moines: 6.9%
11. Chicago: 6.7%
12. Minneapolis: 6.3%
13. Columbus: 6.1%
14. Pittsburgh: 5.6%
15. Fort Wayne: 5.2%
16. Jacksonville: 4.7%
17. Wichita: 4.5%
18. Lincoln: 4.4%
19. Milwaukee: 4.3%
20. Indianapolis: 3.7%
21. Omaha: 3.7%
22. St. Louis: 3.5%
23. Cleveland: 2.8%
24. Kansas City: 2.5%
25. Cincinnati: 2.3%
26. Grand Rapids: 2.2%
27. Detroit: 1.6%
28. Toledo: 1.0%



Total Hispanic Population by City By Year
2010———————————2018
1. Chicago: 763,968————-1. Chicago: 776,661
2. San Jose: 318,389————2. San Jose: 333,819
3. Austin: 288,130—————3. Austin: 314,949
4. Las Vegas: 181,923———–4. Las Vegas: 222,860
5. Sacramento: 124,461———5. Sacramento: 148,343
6. Milwaukee: 104,619———-6. Milwaukee: 119,876
7. Indianapolis: 78,467———-7. Jacksonville: 94,158
8.  Providence: 76,645———-8. Indianapolis: 88,022
9. Jacksonville: 64,081———-9. Providence: 75,177
10. Wichita: 59,823————-10. Wichita: 70,564
11. Portland: 58,986————11. Omaha: 68,747
12. Omaha: 53,661————–12. Portland: 60,760
13. Kansas City: 49,800——–13. Columbus: 53,935
14. Detroit : 45,580————-14. Detroit: 52,718
15. Columbus: 43,276———-15. Kansas City: 52,638
16. Cleveland: 36,067———-16. Cleveland: 47,144
17. Minneapolis: 34,504——-17. Minneapolis: 40,912
18. Grand Rapids: 30,659—–18. Virginia Beach: 37,365
19. Virginia Beach: 29,206—-19. Grand Rapids: 36,469
20. St. Paul: 28,725————20. Des Moines: 31,706
21. Des Moines: 23,832——-21. St. Paul: 26,081
22. Toledo: 21,346————-22. Toledo: 24,625
23. Fort Wayne: 19,576——-23. Fort Wayne: 24,623
24. Lincoln: 16,007————24. Lincoln: 22,339
25. Madison: 14,062———-25. Madison: 18,867
26. St. Louis: 11,207———–26. St. Louis: 12,509
27. Cincinnati: 8,710———-27. Cincinnati: 10,773
28. Pittsburgh: 7,282———28. Pittsburgh: 10,180

Total Hispanic Population Change 2010-2018
1. Las Vegas: +40,937
2. Jacksonville: +30,077
3. Austin: +26,819
4. Sacramento: +23,882
5. San Jose: +15,430
6. Milwaukee: +15,257
7. Omaha: +15,086
8. Chicago: +12,693
9. Cleveland: +11,077
10. Wichita: +10,741
11. Columbus: +10,659
12. Indianapolis: +9,555
13. Virginia Beach: +8,159
14. Des Moines: +7,874
15. Detroit: +7,138
16. Minneapolis: +6,408
17. Lincoln: +6,332
18. Grand Rapids: +5,810
19. Fort Wayne: +5,047
20. Madison: +4,805
21. Toledo: +3,279
22. Pittsburgh: +2,898
23. Kansas City: +2,838
24. Cincinnati: +2,063
25. Portland: +1,774
26. St. Louis: +1,302
27. Providence: -1,468
28. St. Paul: -2,644

Hispanic % of Total Population by City in 2018
1. Providence: 41.9%
2. Las Vegas: 34.6%
3. Austin: 32.7%
4. San Jose: 32.4%
5. Sacramento: 29.2%
6. Chicago: 28.7%
7. Milwaukee: 20.3%
8. Grand Rapids: 18.2%
9. Wichita: 18.1%
10. Omaha: 14.7%
11. Des Moines: 14.6%
12. Cleveland: 12.3%
13. Kansas City: 10.7%
14. Jacksonville: 10.4%
15. Indianapolis: 10.2%
16. Minneapolis: 9.6%
17. Portland: 9.3%
18. Fort Wayne: 9.3%
19. Toledo: 9.0%
20. St. Paul: 8.5%
21. Virginia Beach: 8.3%
22. Detroit: 7.8%
23. Lincoln: 7.8%
24. Madison: 7.3%
25. Columbus: 6.0%
26. St. Louis: 4.1%
27. Cincinnati: 3.6%
28. Pittsburgh: 3.4%

Total Non-Hispanic Other Population by City by Year
2010——————————–2018
1. Chicago: 37,379————–1. Chicago: 65,240
2. San Jose: 32,439————-2. San Jose: 46,017
3. Sacramento: 30,900——–3. Columbus: 40,806
4. Portland: 28,027————-4. Sacramento: 39,825
5. Las Vegas: 24,521———–5. Portland: 37,363
6. Columbus: 23,738———–6. Jacksonville: 37,322
7. Jacksonville: 23,114———-7. Las Vegas: 34,024
8. Minneapolis: 20,753———8. Austin: 27,135
9. Virginia Beach: 20,268——9. Indianapolis: 26,908
10. Indianapolis: 20,086——10. Minneapolis: 23,458
11. Detroit: 16,776————-11. Virginia Beach: 21,245
12. Milwaukee: 16,311——– 12. Kansas City: 19,320
13. Wichita: 16,091————13. Milwaukee: 19,286
14. Omaha: 15,519————14. Omaha: 17,987
15. Austin: 14,915————-15. St. Paul: 17,871
16. Kansas City: 14,668——16. Detroit: 16,223
17. St. Paul: 13,098———–17. Cleveland: 16,123
18.  Pittsburgh: 11,280——-18. Wichita: 15,740
19. Toledo: 10,134————19. Toledo: 14,949
20. Fort Wayne: 8,513——-20. Lincoln: 13,148
21. Cleveland: 8,276———21. Fort Wayne: 12,158
22. St. Louis: 7,704———-22. Cincinnati: 11,889
23. Lincoln: 7,483———–23. Pittsburgh: 10,029
24. Grand Rapids: 7,376—24. Madison: 9,263
25. Cincinnati: 7,230——-25. Des Moines: 8,944
26. Madison: 7,177———26. St. Louis: 8,892
27. Providence: 6,471——27: Grand Rapids: 8,347
28. Des Moines: 5,598—–28. Providence: 6,152

Total Non-Hispanic Other Population Change 2010-2018
1. Chicago: +27,861
2. Columbus; +17,068
3. Jacksonville: +14,208
4. San Jose: +13,578
5. Austin: +12,220
6. Las Vegas: +9,503
7. Portland: +9,336
8. Sacramento: +8,925
9. Cleveland: +7.847
10. Indianapolis: +6,822
11. Lincoln: +5,665
12. Toledo: +4,815
13. St. Paul: +4,773
14. Cincinnati: +4,659
15. Kansas City: +4,652
16. Fort Wayne: +3,645
17. Des Moines: +3,346
18. Milwaukee: +2,975
19. Minneapolis: +2,705
20. Omaha: +2,468
21. Madison: +2,086
22. St. Louis: 1,188
23. Virginia Beach: +977
24. Grand Rapids: +971
25. Providence: -319
26. Wichita: -351
27. Detroit: -553
28. Pittsburgh: -1251

Non-Hispanic Other % of Total Population by City in 2018
1. Sacramento: 7.8%
2. St. Paul: 5.8%
3. Portland: 5.7%
4. Minneapolis: 5.5%
5. Toledo: 5.4%
6. Las Vegas: 5.3%
7. Virginia Beach: 4.7%
8. Fort Wayne: 4.6%
9. Lincoln: 4.6%
10. Columbus: 4.6%
11. San Jose: 4.5%
12. Cleveland: 4.2%
13. Grand Rapids: 4.2%
14. Jacksonville: 4.1%
15. Des Moines: 4.1%
16. Wichita: 4.0%
17. Cincinnati: 3.9%
18. Kansas City: 3.9%
19. Omaha: 3.8%
20. Madison: 3.6%
21. Providence: 3.4%
22. Pittsburgh: 3.3%
23. Milwaukee: 3.3%
24. Indianapolis: 3.1%
25. St. Louis: 2.9%
26. Austin: 2.8%
27. Chicago: 2.4%
28. Detroit: 2.4%

Now that we can see all the numbers, what is the 2018 ranking of most to least racially diverse? To find out, I assigned points by the ranking of % of population, so #1 of a particular ranking would get 1 point, the next 2 points and so on. The cities with the fewest points are the most diverse.
Here are the rankings for both 2010 and 2018.

Most to Least Diverse by Year and Total Points
2010——————————–2018
1. Portland: 50—————–1. Portland: 54
2. Sacramento: 52————2. Sacramento: 54
3. St. Paul: 53—————–3. Minneapolis: 55
4. Minneapolis: 54———–4. St. Paul: 58
5. Virginia Beach: 55——–5. Las Vegas: 59
6. Wichita: 57—————-6. Virginia Beach: 59
7. Las Vegas: 60————-7. Fort Wayne: 62
8. Providence: 61————8. Des Moines: 64
9. Omaha: 66—————-9. Jacksonville: 67
10. Grand Rapids: 69——-10. Columbus: 70
11. Des Moines: 71———-11. San Jose: 71
12. Madison: 72————-12. Cleveland: 72
13. San Jose: 72————-13. Wichita: 72
14. Fort Wayne: 73———14. Grand Rapids: 73
15. Kansas City: 73———15. Providence: 73
16. Milwaukee: 73———-16. Omaha: 74
17. Pittsburgh: 74———-17. Madison: 75
18. Jacksonville: 75——–18. Toledo: 75
19. Chicago: 76————-19. Milwaukee: 76
20. Columbus: 77———-20. Chicago: 77
21. Austin: 80—————21. Austin: 78
22. Indianapolis: 81——–22. Kansas City: 78
23. Toledo: 81————–23. Lincoln: 78
24. Lincoln: 85————-24. Indianapolis: 81
25. St. Louis: 94———–25. Pittsburgh: 82
26. Cleveland: 95———-26. Cincinnati: 91
27. Cincinnati: 97———-27. St. Louis: 96
28. Detroit: 104————28. Detroit: 106

Columbus had one of the fastest improvements of its diversity, moving up 10 spots from 20th to 10th.

To see how Columbus compares to cities in other ways, check out:
Columbus vs. Other Cities
And to see more national population data, visit:
United States Census



Young Professionals and the City: A Comparison

Posted on by
Reply




young professionals

Millennials- those born roughly between 1981 and 2001- are big news these days. They are the largest generation ever in terms of total numbers (exceeding 76 million), and their choices are already having big impacts on everything from housing to the economy. I wanted to look at Columbus and its peers to see where it ranks in terms of attracting these young professionals.

For the comparison, I looked at metro areas of 1.5-2.5 million as well as major Midwest metros and then used their core cities to get the numbers. I used the age group of 25-34 specifically, as that is usually the number most often cited in the news.

Rank of Total Population Aged 25-34
2005_______________________2010___________________2014
1. Chicago: 463,236_______1. Chicago: 510,042_______1. Chicago: 525,381
2. San Antonio: 180,981_____2. San Antonio: 200,645____2. San Antonio: 226,711
3. Austin: 137,523_________3. Austin: 162,247_________3. Austin: 199,838
4. San Jose, CA: 133,144___4. Columbus: 147,584______4. Columbus: 170,759
5. Columbus: 131,641______5. San Jose, CA: 142,551___5. San Jose, CA: 153,690
6. Indianapolis: 114,532_____6. Indianapolis: 133,088____6. Charlotte, NC: 141,869
7. Detroit: 110,759_________7. Charlotte, NC: 127,539___7. Indianapolis: 140,491
8. Charlotte, NC: 100,025____8. Portland, OR: 113,210___8. Portland, OR: 116,109
9. Portland, OR: 90,023_____9. Milwaukee: 97,359______9. Milwaukee: 100,205
10. Las Vegas: 84,418______10. Detroit: 85,023________10. Minneapolis: 90,662
11. Milwaukee: 82,060______11. Minneapolis: 81,532____11. Las Vegas: 90,441
12. Sacramento, CA: 75,497___12. Las Vegas: 81,212____12. Detroit: 89,843
13. Minneapolis: 74,208___13. Sacramento, CA: 78,527__13. Sacramento, CA: 84,013
14. Kansas City, MO: 68,060__14. Kansas City: 73,872__14. Kansas City, MO: 79,262
15. Virginia Beach: 60,749__15. Virginia Beach: 67,614__15. Virginia Beach: 75,543
16. Omaha, NE: 56,248____16. Omaha, NE: 62,396_____16. Omaha, NE: 71,040
17. Wichita, KS: 52,426____17. St. Louis: 57,627_______17. Pittsburgh: 62,473
18. Cleveland: 50,558_____18. Wichita, KS: 56,737_____18. St. Louis: 61,718
19. St. Louis: 48,137______19. Cleveland: 54,428______19. Wichita, KS: 58,334
20. Cincinnati: 44,945_____20. Pittsburgh: 51,109______20. Cleveland: 56,134
21. Toledo: 43,134_______21. St. Paul, MN: 50,107_____21. St. Paul, MN: 54,464
22. Orlando: 40,846______22. Cincinnati: 49,067_______22. Orlando: 54,395
23. St. Paul, MN: 39,676__23. Orlando: 48,102________23. Cincinnati: 54,247
24. Lincoln, NE: 38,893___24. Madison, WI: 44,662_____24. Madison, WI: 44,835
25. Madison, WI: 38,826___25. Lincoln, NE: 42,034_____25. Toledo: 43,661
26. Pittsburgh: 38,744____26. Toledo: 41,580_________26. Lincoln, NE: 40,071
27. Grand Rapids: 35,287__27. Fort Wayne, IN: 35,193__27: Grand Rapids: 38,922
28. Des Moines: 32,640__28. Providence, RI: 31,044__28. Fort Wayne, IN: 37,741
29. Fort Wayne, IN: 31,738__29. Grand Rapids: 30,963__29. Des Moines: 33,857
30. Akron: 30,436_______30. Des Moines: 30,376_____30. Providence, RI: 31,902
31. Providence, RI: 29,307__31. Akron: 27,446________31. Akron: 28,207
32. Dayton: 18,591_______32. Dayton: 20,278________32. Dayton: 21,096
33. Youngstown: 8,505____33. Youngstown: 8,484_____33. Youngstown: 8,468

So Columbus ranks highly among total population in the 25-34 age group. But what about growth?

Total Growth Rank in 25-34 Population 2005-2014
1. Austin, TX: 62,315
2. Chicago: 62,145
3. San Antonio, TX: 45,730
4. Charlotte, NC: 41,844
5. Columbus: 39,118
6. Portland, OR: 26,086
7. Indianapolis: 25,959
8. Pittsburgh: 23,729
9. San Jose, CA: 20,546
10. Milwaukee, WI: 18,145
11. Minneapolis, MN: 16,454
12. Virginia Beach, VA: 14,794
13. St. Paul, MN: 14,788
14. Omaha, NE: 14,612
15. St. Louis, MO: 13,581
16. Orlando, FL: 13,549
17. Kansas City, MO: 11,202
18. Cincinnati: 9,302
19. Sacramento, CA: 8,516
20. Las Vegas, NV: 6,023
21. Madison, WI: 6,009
22. Fort Wayne, IN: 6,003
23. Wichita, KS: 5,908
24. Cleveland: 5,576
25. Grand Rapids, MI: 3,635
26. Providence, RI: 2,595
27. Dayton: 2,505
28. Des Moines, IA: 1,217
29. Lincoln, NE: 1,178
30. Toledo: 527
31. Youngstown: -37
32. Akron: -2,229
33. Detroit: -20,736

Again, Columbus ranks near the top during this period. What about more recently, since 2010?

Total Growth Rank of 25-34 Population 2010-2014
1. Austin: 37,591
2. San Antonio: 26,066
3. Columbus: 23,175
4. Chicago: 15,339
5. Charlotte: 14,330
6. Pittsburgh: 11,364
7. San Jose: 11,139
8. Las Vegas: 9,229
9. Minneapolis: 9,130
10. Omaha: 8,644
11. Grand Rapids: 7,959
12. Virginia Beach: 7,929
13. Indianapolis: 7,403
14. Orlando: 6,293
15. Sacramento: 5,486
16. Kansas City: 5,390
17. Cincinnati: 5,180
18. Detroit: 4,820
19. St. Paul: 4,357
20. St. Louis: 4,091
21. Des Moines: 3,481
22. Portland: 2,899
23. Milwaukee: 2,846
24. Fort Wayne: 2,548
25. Toledo: 2,081
26. Cleveland: 1,706
27. Wichita: 1,597
28. Providence: 858
29. Dayton: 818
30. Akron: 761
31. Madison: 173
32. Youngstown: -16
33. Lincoln: -1,963

So Columbus is doing even better since 2010 than it did in the earlier period and attracts significantly more Millennials in the 25-34 age group than cities often cited for this very metric.

Next, let’s look at percentage growth, as city size can affect this.

Total Percent Growth 2005-2014 in 25-34 Population
1. Pittsburgh: +61.25%
2. Austin: +45.31%
3. Charlotte: +41.83%
4. St. Paul: +37.27%
5. Orlando: +33.17%
6. Columbus: +29.72%
7. Portland: +28.98%
8. St. Louis: +28.21%
9. Omaha: +25.89%
10. San Antonio: +25.27%
11. Virginia Beach: +24.35%
12. Indianapolis: +22.67%
13. Minneapolis: +22.17%
14. Milwaukee: +22.11%
15. Cincinnati: +20.70%
16. Fort Wayne: +18.91%
17. Kansas City: +16.46%
18. Madison: +15.48%
19. San Jose: +15.43%
20. Dayton: +13.47%
21. Chicago: +13.42%
22. Sacramento: +11.28%
23. Wichita: +11.27%
24. Cleveland: +11.03%
25. Grand Rapids: +10.30%
26. Providence: +8.85%
27. Las Vegas: +7.13%
28. Des Moines: +3.73%
29. Lincoln: +3.03%
30. Toledo: +1.22%
31. Youngstown: -0.44%
32. Akron: -7.32%
33. Detroit: -18.75%

So Columbus again performs well in percentage growth, despite having one of the largest populations in the age group. It performs even better in the period since 2010, coming in at 3rd place.

Finally, now that we know the totals and the growth, what is the % of total city population that the 25-34 age group makes up?

25-34 % of Total City Population 2014
1. Minneapolis: 22.27%
2. Austin: 21.89%
3. Orlando: 20.73%
4. Pittsburgh: 20.45%
5. Columbus: 20.42%
6. Grand Rapids: 20.08%
7. St. Louis: 19.44%
8. Chicago: 19.30%
9. Portland: 18.74%
10. St. Paul: 18.30%
11. Madison: 18.25%
12. Cincinnati: 18.19%
13. Providence: 17.81%
14. Charlotte: 17.52%
15. Sacramento: 17.32%
16. Kansas City: 16.84%
17. Virginia Beach: 16.75%
18. Milwaukee: 16.71%
19. Indianapolis: 16.50%
20. Des Moines: 16.19%
21. Omaha: 15.91%
22. San Antonio: 15.78%
23. Toledo: 15.54%
24. San Jose: 15.13%
25. Wichita: 15.02%
26. Dayton: 14.96%
27. Fort Wayne: 14.74%
28. Las Vegas: 14.74%
29. Lincoln: 14.68%
30. Cleveland: 14.41%
31. Akron: 14.26%
32. Detroit: 13.21%
33. Youngstown: 13.02%

And here’s a simple % of population projection for just 4 years from now, 2018, provided the 25-34 population grows the same between 2014-2018 as it did 2010-2014.
1. Pittsburgh: 24.18%
2. Grand Rapids: 23.71%
3. Austin: 23.38%
4. Minneapolis: 23.27%
5. Columbus: 22.16%
6. Orlando: 21.34%
7. St. Louis: 20.82%
8. Cincinnati: 19.85%
9. Chicago: 19.70%
10. St. Paul: 19.05%
11. Providence: 18.20%
12. Portland: 18.14%
13. Virginia Beach: 18.1%
14. Sacramento: 17.84%
15. Charlotte: 17.67%
16. Kansas City: 17.64%
17. Des Moines: 17.50%
18. Madison: 17.40%
19. Milwaukee: 17.07%
20. Indianapolis: 16.85%
21. Omaha: 16.61%
22. Toledo: 16.59%
23. San Antonio: 16.52%
24. Fort Wayne: 15.61%
25. Las Vegas: 15.59%
26. Dayton: 15.27%
27. San Jose: 15.24%
28. Wichita: 15.23%
29. Cleveland: 15.08%
30. Akron: 14.73%
31. Detroit: 14.48%
32. Youngstown: 13.35%
33. Lincoln: 13.13%

Columbus has an existing large population of the 25-34 age demographic, and looks to be one of the strongest performers into the near future.
Some would ask why that would be considering that Columbus transit is woefully lacking and has a reputation (very undeservedly, in my opinion) of being suburban- characteristics that Millennials supposedly almost universally reject. Perhaps the bottom line is that economics trump all other desires. Cost of living and employment tend to be higher up the list than rail lines, and Columbus has both a strong economy and relatively low COL. Whatever the case may be, Columbus seems to be doing something right. Continue this look at this population in Part 2.