Best PlacesEast Columbus, Columbus, IN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around East Columbus, Columbus, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
East Columbus, Columbus ranks 3,537th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and transit ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in East Columbus, Columbus
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
East Columbus, Columbus' strengths and weaknesses
Where East Columbus, Columbus ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Short commute18.3 minutes each way, better than 88% of neighborhoods
Where East Columbus, Columbus ranks low
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Household income$52,348 median, better than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in East Columbus, Columbus
A household needs to earn about $33,000 a year to comfortably buy the median East Columbus, Columbus home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,348, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses East Columbus, Columbus' effective rate of 0.35%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in East Columbus, Columbus
East Columbus, Columbus runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for East Columbus, Columbus.
Who works in East Columbus, Columbus, and how
Work in East Columbus, Columbus centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in East Columbus, Columbus
East Columbus, Columbus has more parkland per resident than 91% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of East Columbus, Columbus and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in East Columbus, Columbus, month by month
East Columbus, Columbus sees roughly 67 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 31° | 24° |
| April | 64° | 55° | 43° |
| July | 84° | 77° | 66° |
| October | 68° | 58° | 46° |
Flying in and out of East Columbus, Columbus
Indianapolis International sits about 41 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 5.2 million passengers in 2025, with 92 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around East Columbus, Columbus
Schools across East Columbus, Columbus average a B−, better than 56% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Csa Fodrea CampusC · 32% proficient
Top middle schools
- Northside Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Top high schools
- Columbus North High SchoolB · 49% proficient
- Columbus East High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every East Columbus, Columbus school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
East Columbus, Columbus measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare East Columbus, Columbus against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in East Columbus, Columbus
Is East Columbus, Columbus a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, East Columbus, Columbus ranks 3,537th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low property taxes, cheap car insurance, and cell coverage, and lowest on transit and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is East Columbus, Columbus expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $132,778. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $52,348 median income, cost of living beats 28% of neighborhoods.
Is East Columbus, Columbus safe?
Yes, East Columbus, Columbus is safer than 65% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $335 per resident a year.
Compare East Columbus, Columbus with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to East Columbus, Columbus. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in East Columbus, Columbus represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
East Columbus, Columbus detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for East Columbus, Columbus: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in East Columbus, Columbus: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of East Columbus, Columbus: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in East Columbus, Columbus: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
East Columbus, Columbus detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.