2025 Compare Cities Education:
Lancaster, PA vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 10.8% less per student than Lancaster.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 11.5% higher in Columbia than in Lancaster. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 9.6% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Lancaster
 Lancaster, PAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$15,226  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio13.77  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor314  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.9.5%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.15.3%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.25.4%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.2%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Lancaster    14 Reviews

Lancaster is really nice in some parts, but it seems like the further away you get from downtown the worse it gets. I grew up around Saint Joseph and manor and saw  More

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I was there last weekend and was extremely favorably impressed. The only hesitation, and question, I have about the place is the high crime rate. It is hard to tell from  More

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Over 11 years ago

Lancaster is the nation's oldest inland city located in central PA amid Amish farmlands. Walkable and soon to be bike friendly, it offers a variety of great restaurants  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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