2026 Compare Cities Education:
Paducah, KY vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 22.7% more per student than Paducah.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 2.2% lower in Columbia than in Paducah. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 0.5% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Paducah
 Paducah, KYColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$10,673  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.71  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor343  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.6.1%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.22.6%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.27.4%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree3.0%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Paducah    16 Reviews

Joel · 

I have visited it the 1st time and thought it was a rundown ghetto but the 2nd time I loved  More

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Over 6 years ago

The downtown area is fun and the murals on the floodwall provide an interesting history of the  More

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Over 12 years ago

Move here six years ago, and was very optimistic. I love meeting new people and adventure. Me my husband and two kids moved here from Louisville are. This place is like  More

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Reviews for Columbia    50 Reviews

Over 3 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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