Rank: 8

Columbia Metro (S.C.)
Own/rent ratio: 123%
Annual cost to own: $9,885
Annual cost to rent: $8,016

Columbia is the state capital and home to the University of South Carolina. The metropolitan area had about 700,000 people as of 2007. The city's large employers are the state government and University of South Carolina, two industries that are more recession-proof than others, and so it has been spared from the worst of the crisis. However, the unemployment rate still reached 10% in June (not seasonally adjusted).