2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Columbia, SC vs San Luis Obispo, CA

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Highlights
- Household income in San Luis Obispo, is 27% more than it is in Columbia and is 12% below the National Average.
- Columbia unemployment rate is 5.2%.
- San Luis Obispo unemployment rate is 5.5%.
 Columbia, SCSan Luis Obispo, CAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.5%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.3%1.6%
 Future Job Growth27.4%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes8.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock8.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$32,954  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$61,862$69,021
 Family Median Income$73,526  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Columbia, SCSan Luis Obispo, CAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock13.8%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.2%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock7.9%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.9%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.0%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K7.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.8%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K10.5%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.6%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K5.0%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock12.7%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Columbia, SCSan Luis Obispo, CAUnited States
 Management, business, finance16.7%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock11.2%6.5%
 Community, social services2.4%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.7%1.2%
 Education, library9.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.0%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.1%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.6%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock11.1%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.1%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.6%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.9%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair3.9%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock7.5%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 San Luis Obispo    21 Reviews

MY FIANCEE AND I ARE LOOKING TO MOVE TO SLO FOR RETIREMENT ( NEXT MONTH ) WE ARE BOTH ARTISTS AND HOPE OUR TALENT WILL HELP WITH COST OF LIVING IN SLO!!! ANY  More

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Over 10 years ago

In almost any season of the year in San Luis Obispo, you’ll find the sun shining and the temperature hitting around 70º at some point in the day. With the temperature  More

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San Luis Obispo and surrounding areas are beautiful, great weather, beaches, farms markets, a downtown area full of some of the best bars and restaurants, wine country,  More

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