While big cities like Columbus offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Columbus. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Columbus without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Columbus are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Columbus area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Columbus for 2025:
What’s the best suburb of Columbus? Upper Arlington ranks as the best suburb of Columbus for 2025 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Upper Arlington, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Columbus ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Ohio:
The 10 Best Columbus Suburbs To Live For 2025
/10
Population: 36,319
Median Income: $150,993
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Upper Arlington: Data
Upper Arlington is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Columbus area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Upper Arlington.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $150,993 a year, which is the 5th highest in the Columbus region. And only 2.02% are out of work. Homes average more than $568,200 each.
/10
Population: 14,229
Median Income: $191,250
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 1.4%
More on Powell: Data
Powell is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Columbus for 2025.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 1.97% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
3. New Albany, OH
/10
Population: 10,524
Median Income: $232,524
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 1.8%
More on New Albany:
Here in New Albany, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Columbus metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in New Albany.
/10
Population: 8,422
Median Income: $113,862
Unemployment Rate: 1.6%
Poverty Rate: 6.1%
More on Grandview Heights: Data
Grandview Heights ranks as the 4th best suburb of Columbus for 2025.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Grandview Heights and the schools are some of the best around.
Crime was low overall and this small city is located in the heart of Columbus, Ohio but has it’s own police department.
The abundance of great places to eat and socialize make this city a spectacular place to live. There are no less than three awesome coffee shops with great coffees and food.
/10
Population: 13,324
Median Income: $152,526
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Bexley: Data
Coming in as the fifth best is Bexley.
Bexley gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the Columbus area, where houses sell for an average of $488,600. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 5,916
Median Income: $123,860
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 2.0%
More on Granville: Data
Granville is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 1.9%.
According to online reports, Granville is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Columbus area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 49,031
Median Income: $155,282
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 2.5%
More on Dublin: Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Dublin.
Dublin schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 12.3 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 14,754
Median Income: $124,734
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Worthington: Data
Worthington is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 2.41% of people lack insurance, good for 4th in the area.
/10
Population: 38,543
Median Income: $107,054
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 5.4%
More on Westerville: Data
Is ‘Everything Better In Westerville?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 35,438
Median Income: $106,004
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 5.6%
More on Gahanna: Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2025 is Gahanna.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Columbus for 2025
Figuring out the best suburbs around Columbus was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2019-2023 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Columbus.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 36 suburbs to evaluate around Columbus.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 36 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Columbus.” We’re lookin’ at you, Upper Arlington.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Columbus suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Columbus ‘Burbs of 2025
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Columbus are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Columbus but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Ohio reading, check out:
Table: Best Columbus Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Arlington, OH | 36,319 | $150,993 | $568,200 |
| 2 | Powell, OH | 14,229 | $191,250 | $493,500 |
| 3 | New Albany, OH | 10,524 | $232,524 | $728,200 |
| 4 | Grandview Heights, OH | 8,422 | $113,862 | $548,100 |
| 5 | Bexley, OH | 13,324 | $152,526 | $488,600 |
| 6 | Granville, OH | 5,916 | $123,860 | $490,500 |
| 7 | Dublin, OH | 49,031 | $155,282 | $514,900 |
| 8 | Worthington, OH | 14,754 | $124,734 | $417,700 |
| 9 | Westerville, OH | 38,543 | $107,054 | $343,200 |
| 10 | Gahanna, OH | 35,438 | $106,004 | $322,300 |
| 11 | Hilliard, OH | 36,560 | $122,864 | $360,000 |
| 12 | Sunbury, OH | 7,335 | $103,774 | $337,700 |
| 13 | Canal Winchester, OH | 9,659 | $112,474 | $314,800 |
| 14 | Pickerington, OH | 23,828 | $116,645 | $309,700 |
| 15 | Minerva Park, OH | 2,095 | $125,802 | $293,500 |
| 16 | Commercial Point, OH | 3,106 | $96,154 | $321,600 |
| 17 | Groveport, OH | 5,916 | $91,545 | $245,200 |
| 18 | Marysville, OH | 26,540 | $92,490 | $271,000 |
| 19 | Lithopolis, OH | 2,344 | $109,219 | $308,500 |
| 20 | Pataskala, OH | 18,049 | $90,513 | $277,600 |
| 21 | Delaware, OH | 43,168 | $92,928 | $279,400 |
| 22 | Heath, OH | 10,545 | $74,773 | $215,000 |
| 23 | Ashville, OH | 4,626 | $64,934 | $208,900 |
| 24 | Grove, OH | 7,101 | $56,875 | $232,400 |
| 25 | Reynoldsburg, OH | 41,032 | $71,381 | $230,300 |
| 26 | West Jefferson, OH | 4,250 | $64,321 | $180,000 |
| 27 | Baltimore, OH | 2,970 | $58,322 | $198,500 |
| 28 | South Bloomfield, OH | 2,808 | $83,092 | $205,200 |
| 29 | Lancaster, OH | 40,902 | $54,901 | $180,200 |
| 30 | Buckeye Lake, OH | 2,513 | $75,179 | $179,000 |
| 31 | Johnstown, OH | 18,245 | $34,784 | $42,100 |
| 32 | London, OH | 10,403 | $60,364 | $194,800 |
| 33 | Hebron, OH | 2,474 | $56,691 | $168,500 |
| 34 | Obetz, OH | 6,293 | $81,200 | $191,700 |
| 35 | Circleville, OH | 14,144 | $56,225 | $182,400 |
| 36 | Whitehall, OH | 19,974 | $50,812 | $138,700 |