Columbia is a city of 2,235 people in California. At a median age of 49.8, this is an older place than the country as a whole. Households here earn about 41% less than in California as a whole. 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. The foreign-born share is 5%. Households take in $58,520 at the median, 29% less than the US figure.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $58,520, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 49.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
24% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 118%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Columbia
What changed most since 1990
Adults with a bachelor's degree17.0% → 23.6%(+6.6 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Hispanic share2.6% → 6.1%(+3.5 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Poverty rate10.5% → 15.5%(+5.1 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Columbia's population equals 4.1% of Tuolumne County's. Its number of people who work from home equals 8.0% of the county's. Its number of residents living in poverty equals 6.1% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)10.3%(24)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)16.7%(39)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era55.4%(129)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War7.3%(17)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 233 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Columbia, decade by decade
Columbia population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
1,786
$57,474
$358,810
17.0%
12.8
2000
2,405
$53,143
$172,329
16.4%
30.7
2010
2,297
$48,183
$262,971
16.2%
32.5
2020
2,577
$48,816
$418,275
19.8%
48.4
2024
2,235
$58,520
$376,200
23.6%
42.0
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
