2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Arlington, VA vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Household income in Columbia, is 62% less than it is in Arlington and is 41% below the National Average.
- Arlington unemployment rate is 4.0%.
- Columbia unemployment rate is 5.2%.
 Arlington, VAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.2%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock-0.2%1.6%
 Future Job Growth39.1%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$77,535  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$48,791$69,021
 Family Median Income$171,820  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Arlington, VAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock18.9%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K1.5%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock10.7%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K3.3%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K4.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.4%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.8%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock11.2%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K14.8%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock7.1%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Arlington, VAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Management, business, finance33.3%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock5.8%6.5%
 Community, social services1.4%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock2.3%1.2%
 Education, library5.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.3%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology3.7%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.0%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.1%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.1%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.5%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support12.5%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.4%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair3.0%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock10.1%13.1%
Reviews for Arlington    36 Reviews

Lived here 17 years, amazing  More

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Resident for 20 years. There is nothing hidden about Arlington. It is an affluent inner suburb of DC with a highly educated, mostly professional, population. The  More

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We've lived in Arlington for the past 7 years, and have enjoyed it but would prefer a less expensive, more open area. We live in a townhouse in Rosslyn, close to the  More

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Reviews for Columbia    50 Reviews

Over 2 years ago

I love living in Columbia! I recently graduated from USC and plan to stay. I read the reviews posted here and it shows that like many cities, your experience will depend  More

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Loved living in Columbia, SC prior to my job transfer. It's the perfect size - plenty to do, but still a laid back place. People are extremely friendly, there are  More

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Columbia is such a unique and underrated place. It has a lot of character and history, and good nature trails. Everything feels accessible (by car) and you can get from  More

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