2025 Compare Cities Education:
Columbia, SC vs Salem, SC

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Highlights
- Salem spends 10.8% less per student than Columbia.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 16.8% lower in Salem than in Columbia. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Salem had 10.7% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Columbia
 Columbia, SCSalem, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$15,306$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$14,952  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,061$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.36  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock3594573
 Students per Counselor336  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock6.1%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.7.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock80.8%88.9%
 Some College Educ.18.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock4.0%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.44.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock5.1%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.5%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock0.0%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 Salem    2 Reviews

Absolutely one of the most beautiful places to live m. Come check it  More

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Over 7 years ago

I lived in the general Salem area for a year and a half. Being a "Yankee" I was treated with either indifference or outright hostility. Things I liked were little  More

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