Columbus has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Columbus without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Columbus: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$238,250 median income · $632,192 median home price
Located in
Licking County, Ohio
New Albany is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Columbus area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome New Albany.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $238,250 a year, which is the highest in the Columbus region. And only 0.9% are out of work. Homes average more than $632,192 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$155,167 median income · $632,819 median home price
Located in
Franklin County, Ohio
Upper Arlington is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Columbus for 2026.
It ranks 5th for incomes in the area and only 1.8% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$195,495 median income · $567,815 median home price
Located in
Delaware County, Ohio
Here in Powell, 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 Powell.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$157,841 median income · $572,577 median home price
Located in
Franklin County, Ohio
Bexley ranks as the 4th best suburb of Columbus for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Bexley and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$117,672 median income · $554,974 median home price
Located in
Franklin County, Ohio
Coming in as the fifth best is Grandview Heights.
Grandview Heights gets kudos for having the 6th most expensive homes in the Columbus area, where houses sell for an average of $554,974. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$160,296 median income · $559,786 median home price
Located in
Union County, Ohio
Dublin 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 2.5%.
According to online reports, Dublin is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Columbus area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$127,382 median income · $478,891 median home price
Located in
Franklin County, Ohio
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Worthington.
Worthington 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 8.0 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$109,404 median income · $446,095 median home price
Located in
Franklin County, Ohio
Westerville 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 3.4% of people lack insurance, good for 9th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$124,408 median income · $507,108 median home price
Located in
Licking County, Ohio
Is ‘Everything Better In Granville?’
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$131,209 median income · $415,360 median home price
Located in
Franklin County, Ohio
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Canal Winchester.
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Ohio’s statewide median.
Ohio statewide median: $71,389
Ohio statewide median: $242,141
Ohio statewide median: 4.8%
Ohio statewide median: 13.3%
On the map
Where the best Columbus suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Columbus for 2026
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 2020-2024 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 34 suburbs to evaluate around Columbus.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 34 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, New Albany.
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 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Columbus suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Columbus Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Albany | 3.92 | 10,896 | $238,250 | $632,192 |
| 2 | Upper Arlington | 4.21 | 36,293 | $155,167 | $632,819 |
| 3 | Powell | 4.64 | 14,451 | $195,495 | $567,815 |
| 4 | Bexley | 6.93 | 13,114 | $157,841 | $572,577 |
| 5 | Grandview Heights | 7.50 | 8,647 | $117,672 | $554,974 |
| 6 | Dublin | 8.07 | 49,294 | $160,296 | $559,786 |
| 7 | Worthington | 9.00 | 14,938 | $127,382 | $478,891 |
| 8 | Westerville | 10.07 | 38,645 | $109,404 | $446,095 |
| 9 | Granville | 10.29 | 5,999 | $124,408 | $507,108 |
| 10 | Canal Winchester | 11.58 | 10,170 | $131,209 | $415,360 |
| 11 | Gahanna | 11.79 | 35,486 | $109,061 | $374,129 |
| 12 | Hilliard | 13.36 | 38,033 | $128,189 | $384,175 |
| 13 | Pickerington | 13.79 | 24,477 | $111,833 | $419,073 |
| 14 | Groveport | 14.83 | 5,900 | $93,586 | $311,011 |
| 15 | Minerva Park | 15.43 | 2,446 | $130,878 | $359,348 |
| 16 | Commercial Point | 15.57 | 3,141 | $107,868 | $418,264 |
| 17 | Delaware | 17.21 | 44,589 | $99,786 | $407,929 |
| 18 | Marysville | 17.64 | 27,518 | $92,619 | $364,500 |
| 19 | Ashville | 19.79 | 4,648 | $66,522 | $358,546 |
| 20 | Lithopolis | 19.93 | 2,522 | $115,208 | $402,792 |
| 21 | Pataskala | 20.14 | 18,223 | $92,033 | $382,770 |
| 22 | Heath | 21.50 | 10,644 | $71,917 | $303,572 |
| 23 | Baltimore | 23.21 | 3,050 | $59,769 | $399,833 |
| 24 | South Bloomfield | 23.93 | 3,329 | $75,625 | $348,198 |
| 25 | Reynoldsburg | 24.14 | 41,224 | $72,972 | $295,551 |
| 26 | Buckeye Lake | 24.29 | 2,525 | $79,286 | $289,356 |
| 27 | Grove | 24.71 | 7,176 | $58,941 | $292,727 |
| 28 | West Jefferson | 24.71 | 4,392 | $64,136 | $263,224 |
| 29 | Hebron | 25.14 | 2,508 | $66,627 | $327,151 |
| 30 | Lancaster | 26.71 | 41,249 | $59,133 | $273,883 |
| 31 | London | 26.71 | 10,484 | $60,231 | $280,969 |
| 32 | Johnstown | 27.07 | 18,087 | $37,888 | $86,108 |
| 33 | Circleville | 28.50 | 14,142 | $60,296 | $287,499 |
| 34 | Whitehall | 28.86 | 20,019 | $51,759 | $198,430 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 34 suburbs within 30 miles of Columbus.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Columbus ‘Burbs of 2026
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 New Albany, Upper Arlington, Powell, Bexley, Grandview Heights, Dublin, Worthington, Westerville, Granville, and Canal Winchester.
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. Not sold on Ohio? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Columbus FAQs
What is the best suburb of Columbus?
New Albany is the best suburb of Columbus for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Upper Arlington and Powell are next.
What are the best suburbs of Columbus?
The best suburbs of Columbus are New Albany, Upper Arlington, Powell, Bexley, Grandview Heights, Dublin, Worthington, Westerville, Granville, and Canal Winchester. We ranked all 34 places within commuting range.
How expensive is New Albany?
The median household income in New Albany is $238,250 and the median home costs $632,192. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Columbus?
Any place within 30 miles of Columbus qualifies. 34 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Columbus suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, New Albany, takes the crown.
