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Big city living isn't for everyone--but at the same time, urban areas certainly have their perks.
There's the culture, the food, the arts, the food, the energy, and you know, the food. But there are drawbacks. There's traffic, expensive parking, expensive housing--pretty much, expensive everything, depending on which big city you're looking at.
But that's where the suburbs come in--they have all of the benefits of being near big cities, without actually having to be big cities.
Of course, not all suburbs of Columbus are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. So without further ado...
Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Columbus for 2022:
What's the best suburb of Columbus? Upper Arlington ranks as the best suburb of Columbus for 2022 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.
Note: 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 larger selection of suburbs.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Ohio:
The 10 Best Columbus Suburbs To Live For 2022
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 $124,688 a year, which is the 5th highest in the Columbus region. And only 2.53% are out of work. Homes average more than $429,100 each.
/10
Population: 35,364
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $124,688
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%
Poverty Rate: 1.8%
More on Upper Arlington: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Powell is the second best 'burb we looked at near Columbus for 2022.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 3.89% of residents lack insurance, good for 13th best.
/10
Population: 13,353
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Income: $159,368
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 1.3%
More on Powell: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Here in Grandview Heights, 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 Grandview Heights.
/10
Population: 8,254
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $93,367
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 5.1%
More on Grandview Heights: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Dublin ranks as the 4th best suburb of Columbus for 2022.
You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Dublin and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 47,824
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Income: $138,372
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 2.4%
More on Dublin: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Coming in as the fifth best is Granville.
Granville gets kudos for having the 6th most expensive homes in the Columbus area, where houses sell for an average of $389,200. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 5,829
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $132,566
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 2.8%
More on Granville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Bexley 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 3.76% which is 20th best in the area.
According to online reports, Bexley is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Columbus area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 13,805
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 2)
Median Income: $109,805
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Bexley: Real Estate | Data | Photos
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Westerville.
Westerville 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 10.3 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 40,443
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 3)
Median Income: $92,287
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Westerville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
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 2.13% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.
/10
Population: 14,961
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 4)
Median Income: $105,373
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.3%
More on Worthington: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Is 'Everything Better In New Albany?'
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: 11,085
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Median Income: $200,580
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 1.4%
More on New Albany: Real Estate | Data | Photos
And rounding out the top ten for 2022 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.
/10
Population: 35,442
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Median Income: $89,945
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 3.9%
More on Gahanna: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Columbus for 2022
Figuring out the best suburbs around Columbus was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- 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
Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2016-2020 to research each suburb.
FYI: 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 35 suburbs to evaluate around Columbus.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 35 in each category, where 1 was the "best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Columbus." We're lookin' at you, Upper Arlington. You can download the data here.
Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or 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 2022
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.
So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Columbus, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.
For more Ohio reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best Columbus Suburbs
Rank | City | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Upper Arlington, OH | 35,364 |
2 | Powell, OH | 13,353 |
3 | Grandview Heights, OH | 8,254 |
4 | Dublin, OH | 47,824 |
5 | Granville, OH | 5,829 |
6 | Bexley, OH | 13,805 |
7 | Westerville, OH | 40,443 |
8 | Worthington, OH | 14,961 |
9 | New Albany, OH | 11,085 |
10 | Gahanna, OH | 35,442 |
11 | Canal Winchester, OH | 9,148 |
12 | Hilliard, OH | 37,023 |
13 | Pickerington, OH | 21,257 |
14 | Commercial Point, OH | 2,174 |
15 | Groveport, OH | 5,630 |
16 | Marysville, OH | 24,569 |
17 | Sunbury, OH | 5,934 |
18 | Ashville, OH | 4,281 |
19 | Delaware, OH | 41,818 |
20 | Reynoldsburg, OH | 38,016 |
21 | Pataskala, OH | 15,751 |
22 | Heath, OH | 10,847 |
23 | West Jefferson, OH | 4,413 |
24 | London, OH | 10,241 |
25 | South Bloomfield, OH | 2,490 |
26 | Mount Sterling, OH | 2,023 |
27 | Grove, OH | 7,060 |
28 | Lancaster, OH | 40,438 |
29 | Buckeye Lake, OH | 2,839 |
30 | Obetz, OH | 5,205 |
31 | Johnstown, OH | 19,381 |
32 | Baltimore, OH | 3,005 |
33 | Circleville, OH | 13,986 |
34 | Hebron, OH | 2,370 |
35 | Whitehall, OH | 18,944 |