2025 Compare Cities Education:
Columbia, SC vs Chicago, IL

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Highlights
- Chicago spends 27.7% more per student than Columbia.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 9.0% lower in Chicago than in Columbia. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Chicago had 4.6% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Columbia
 Columbia, SCChicago, ILUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$21,907$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$14,952  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$11,567$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.36  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock14804573
 Students per Counselor336  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock7.0%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.7.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock86.3%88.9%
 Some College Educ.18.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock5.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.44.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock12.2%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.5%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.8%1.5%
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 Chicago    270 Reviews

I've lived in Chicago city and later moved to suburbs when family size increased. Absolutely love this city. This is the cleanest and most beautiful among the major  More

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Chicago is probably the best value in a major city that you can find and my personal favorite city. It will become increasingly important as climate change makes the  More

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I've live on north side and south side, UIC medical center. Don't move here go to the north side. No good amenities, if you get bored with one there is no other choices.  More

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