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 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Columbus? New Albany ranks as the best suburb of Columbus for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of New Albany, 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 2024
/10
Population: 10,516
Median Income: $224,824
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 1.9%
More on New Albany: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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 $224,824 a year, which is the highest in the Columbus region. And only 2.21% are out of work. Homes average more than $566,724 each.
/10
Population: 36,500
Median Income: $144,705
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 2.6%
More on Upper Arlington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Upper Arlington is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Columbus for 2024.
It ranks 4th for incomes in the area and only 2.06% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
/10
Population: 14,113
Median Income: $182,736
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 1.4%
More on Powell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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.
/10
Population: 8,258
Median Income: $100,833
Unemployment Rate: 1.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.4%
More on Grandview Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Grandview Heights ranks as the 4th best suburb of Columbus for 2024.
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: 48,893
Median Income: $158,363
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 2.1%
More on Dublin: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Dublin.
Dublin gets kudos for having the 4th most expensive homes in the Columbus area, where houses sell for an average of $539,434. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 13,537
Median Income: $138,929
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on Bexley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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 3.52%.
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: 5,778
Median Income: $124,255
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on Granville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Granville.
Granville 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 25.9 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 14,997
Median Income: $119,408
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 2.5%
More on Worthington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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 2.28% of people lack insurance, good for 4th in the area.
/10
Population: 38,911
Median Income: $103,617
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Westerville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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: 35,529
Median Income: $104,555
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 4.4%
More on Gahanna: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 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 2024
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 2018-2022 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 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.
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 2024. 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 2024
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 | New Albany, OH | 10,516 | $224,824 | $566,724 |
| 2 | Upper Arlington, OH | 36,500 | $144,705 | $560,961 |
| 3 | Powell, OH | 14,113 | $182,736 | $544,262 |
| 4 | Grandview Heights, OH | 8,258 | $100,833 | $493,867 |
| 5 | Dublin, OH | 48,893 | $158,363 | $539,434 |
| 6 | Bexley, OH | 13,537 | $138,929 | $518,032 |
| 7 | Granville, OH | 5,778 | $124,255 | $486,938 |
| 8 | Worthington, OH | 14,997 | $119,408 | $436,367 |
| 9 | Westerville, OH | 38,911 | $103,617 | $403,142 |
| 10 | Gahanna, OH | 35,529 | $104,555 | $341,909 |
| 11 | Hilliard, OH | 36,103 | $116,287 | $345,115 |
| 12 | Pickerington, OH | 23,229 | $114,573 | $384,497 |
| 13 | Commercial Point, OH | 3,033 | $102,689 | $374,778 |
| 14 | Canal Winchester, OH | 9,357 | $111,119 | $373,534 |
| 15 | Groveport, OH | 5,928 | $85,230 | $290,309 |
| 16 | Sunbury, OH | 6,933 | $92,115 | $430,380 |
| 17 | Lithopolis, OH | 2,400 | $103,315 | $362,457 |
| 18 | Delaware, OH | 41,926 | $86,387 | $362,453 |
| 19 | Marysville, OH | 25,806 | $89,104 | $339,984 |
| 20 | Pataskala, OH | 17,843 | $87,246 | $351,075 |
| 21 | Heath, OH | 10,492 | $75,822 | $273,300 |
| 22 | Ashville, OH | 4,581 | $60,293 | $326,818 |
| 23 | Reynoldsburg, OH | 40,926 | $68,778 | $274,217 |
| 24 | Hebron, OH | 2,485 | $60,706 | $237,045 |
| 25 | West Jefferson, OH | 4,186 | $63,750 | $241,843 |
| 26 | South Bloomfield, OH | 2,677 | $84,808 | $298,234 |
| 27 | Grove, OH | 7,012 | $56,469 | $265,341 |
| 28 | Buckeye Lake, OH | 2,517 | $61,348 | $217,693 |
| 29 | Baltimore, OH | 2,968 | $55,121 | $340,114 |
| 30 | Lancaster, OH | 40,616 | $52,716 | $237,103 |
| 31 | Obetz, OH | 5,580 | $77,171 | $240,635 |
| 32 | London, OH | 10,316 | $58,040 | $246,284 |
| 33 | Johnstown, OH | 18,429 | $33,466 | $92,436 |
| 34 | Whitehall, OH | 20,035 | $47,879 | $180,015 |
| 35 | Circleville, OH | 14,017 | $51,830 | $204,112 |