Statistics show that, on average, Columbians:
• Live in houses worth $150,000
• Have college degree
• Work at MU
• Vote Democratic
• Drive pickup trucks
• Spend more than $2,000 a year to fill up their vehicles
• Moved temporarily to town and then decided to stay
• Spend twice as much dining out as they do on groceries
• Have a high incidence of heart disease
Three Missourian reporters — Jim Buell, Furqaan Sadiq and Brooke Tacker — analyzed pages of data to put together a portrait of who we are as Columbians.
They looked at reports from the U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Bureau of Labor Statistics; state departments that monitor health and education; and other sources to describe the average city resident.
This section is a compilation of their research and details where we live and work; how we spend our food budget; where we play; and how we vote; what we drive; and our primary causes of death. The reporters also talked to more than a dozen Columbians to illustrate the data.