Study ranks Columbus among top five best cities for people with disabilities

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Columbus is among the top five best cities in the United States for people with disabilities, according to a recent study.

WalletHub, a personal finance company, compared 182 American cities across 33 key indications of “disability-friendliness.” Metrics include physicians per person, the number of workers with disabilities, and the amount of disability-accessible restaurants and facilities. 

Columbus ranked as the third-best city in the country for people with disabilities. The city is home to an “especially high” number of medical professionals, and has a relatively large percentage of homes -- about 25% -- that are wheelchair accessible, according to WalletHub. The company also noted Columbus has the 13th-lowest homelessness rate in the country for people with disabilities. 

Taking the No. 1 spot was Scottsdale, Arizona. The city leads the country in the number of wheelchair-accessible grocery stores and entertainment establishments. Additionally, Scottsdale residents have access to Arizona’s state Medicaid program, which ranks as the best in the country.

In second place was Minneapolis. The study stated residents have access to “quality” and “affordable” healthcare, with the average monthly health insurance premium in the city being $337 – the second-lowest average in the country. In addition, the city has the sixth-best public hospitals and the eighth-most hospitals per capita.

Completing the top five were St. Louis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The worst cities for those with disabilities were Gulfport, Mississippi; Pearl City, Hawaii; Jackson, Mississippi; Montgomery, Alabama; and Juneau, Alaska.