Ohio to Pennsylvania

Distance from Columbus to Pittsburgh

Straight-line distance

161.9mi

Columbus, OH and Pittsburgh, PA are 161.9 miles (260.5 km) apart in a straight line. From Columbus, the shortest path starts out heading ENE (78°).

kilometers
260.5
nautical miles
140.7
heading from Columbus
78° ENE
heading from Pittsburgh
260° W
ColumbusPittsburgh

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Columbus is from Pittsburgh

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Columbus and Pittsburgh is 161.9 miles, 260.5 km or 140.7 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 161.9 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
161.9
Kilometers
260.5
Nautical miles
140.7
Bearing from Columbus
77.8° ENE
Bearing arriving at Pittsburgh
79.8°
Bearing from Pittsburgh
259.8° W

Halfway between Columbus and Pittsburgh

The great-circle midpoint is at 40.221641, -81.485363 (40°13'17.91"N 81°29'7.31"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Newcomerstown, OH, with 3,631 residents, 6.9 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Columbus gets 15 h 01 min of daylight and Pittsburgh 15 h 04 min; on December 21, 9 h 20 min and 9 h 17 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Columbus has 3.0 times the population of Pittsburgh. From July 2020 to July 2024, Columbus changed by +3.0% and Pittsburgh by +1.6%. The trip crosses from Ohio into Pennsylvania.

  1. 01Columbus, OH933,263 (+3.0%)
  2. 02Pittsburgh, PA307,668 (+1.6%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Columbus from Pittsburgh?

161.9 miles, 260.5 km or 140.7 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Pittsburgh from Columbus?

ENE. The great-circle path leaves Columbus on a bearing of 77.8° and arrives at Pittsburgh on 79.8°. The return trip starts on 259.8°.

What is halfway between Columbus and Pittsburgh?

The midpoint is at 40.221641, -81.485363. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Newcomerstown, OH, 6.9 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Columbus and Pittsburgh?

Both use America/New_York, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Columbus or Pittsburgh?

Columbus, with 933,263 residents in July 2024 against 307,668 for Pittsburgh, 3.0 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.