2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Columbia, SC vs Boone, NC

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Highlights
- Household income in Boone, is 49% less than it is in Columbia and is 179% below the National Average.
- Columbia unemployment rate is 5.2%.
- Boone unemployment rate is 3.4%.
 Columbia, SCBoone, NCUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock3.4%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.7%1.6%
 Future Job Growth27.4%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes8.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.3%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$32,954  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$24,756$69,021
 Family Median Income$73,526  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Columbia, SCBoone, NCUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock36.0%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.2%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock14.5%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.4%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K7.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock8.9%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K10.5%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock5.2%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K5.0%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock1.3%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Columbia, SCBoone, NCUnited States
 Management, business, finance16.7%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock2.9%6.5%
 Community, social services2.4%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.5%1.2%
 Education, library9.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.5%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock2.0%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.6%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock18.3%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.1%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock6.5%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.6%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.1%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair3.9%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock4.9%13.1%
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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Reviews for Boone    15 Reviews

Not sure where they got the rents from. Maybe not updated as there is nowhere to rent in Boone. Unless a student and they are paying $1000+ for 1 bedroom/bath shared  More

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Over 11 years ago

Boone and the High Country's climate is unique to North Carolina and the Southeast. It's cool summers and snowy winters are much more comparable to places much farther  More

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The area is beautiful - living in the Blue Ridge Mountains is gorgeous. But .. the views don't pay the bills. Housing is overpriced. You are better off living  More

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