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CITY

Columbia

Illinois · 10,865 residents (2025 est.) · 10.6 sq mi
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Part of the St. Louis metro area
The short version

Columbia is a city of 11,127 people in Illinois. That puts it in the top 6% of US cities for household income. 82% of homes are owner-occupied. The population is up 40% since 2000. 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. The foreign-born share is 1%.

At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $107,606, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.4
US median: 38.9
More educated
49% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 28%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Columbia

What changed most since 1990

  • Population5,524 → 11,127 (+101%)US over the same years: +35%
  • Adults with a bachelor's degree22.4% → 49.0% (+26.6 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts

Among the 304 cities and towns in the St. Louis metro

  • 57th in household income$107,606
  • 53rd in share with a bachelor's degree49.0%
  • 59th in home value$293,000
  • 241st in diversity score12.3

Its weight in Monroe County

Columbia's population equals 32% of Monroe County's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 16% of the county's.

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
11,127
+40%since 2000
from 7,922 in 2000
10,865 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,055 / sq mi
+40%since 2000
from 751 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
42.4
+13%since 2000
from 37.6 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
10.6 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
5K7K8K10K12K19902000201020202024Columbia
202411K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.5%(612)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.5%(722)
US avg: 6%
10 to 148.1%(904)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 195.3%(585)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 243.2%(353)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411%(1,225)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.6%(1,626)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413.3%(1,484)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6416%(1,777)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.2%(1,019)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.7%(523)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.7%(297)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$107,606
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $58,003 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$51,601
+93%since 2000
from $26,767 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
66.7%
+21.1 ptssince 2009
from 45.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
5.4%
+2.9 ptssince 2000
from 2.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.396
+6%since 2010
from 0.375 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade11.1%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services9%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration7.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade4.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance3.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Transportation & warehousing3.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.4%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$293,000
+28%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $126,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,128
+2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $609 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
82.4%
+5.8 ptssince 2000
from 76.6% in 2000
17.6% rent
Vacancy rate
6.1%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.48 people
−6%since 2009
from 2.64 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
14.6%
−5.8 ptssince 2009
from 20.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
47.3%
+13.4 ptssince 2009
from 33.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.7
−1%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
57
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic97.9%(7,755)
Black0.1%(8)
Hispanic / Latino1%(76)
Asian0.3%(27)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic94.9%(10,559)
Black0.7%(73)
Hispanic / Latino1.7%(184)
Asian0.1%(13)
Other2.7%(298)
Diversity Score
12
+31%since 2009
from 9 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Guatemalan0.7%(81)
Puerto Rican0.5%(56)
Mexican0.3%(38)
Asian origin
Chinese0.1%(9)
Korean0%(4)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(6)
Ancestry
German40%(4,454)
English14.6%(1,624)
Irish12.1%(1,350)
Italian5.2%(576)
American4.9%(544)
Polish3.1%(349)
French2.8%(316)
Swedish1.6%(181)
Scottish1.5%(169)
Scotch-Irish1.1%(118)
Danish0.8%(93)
Swiss0.7%(78)
+ 17 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian0.7%(75)
Hungarian0.5%(60)
Dutch0.5%(57)
Welsh0.5%(53)
British0.3%(34)
Lithuanian0.2%(24)
Belgian0.2%(23)
Austrian0.2%(20)
Czech0.2%(18)
Russian0.1%(15)
Slovak0.1%(12)
Brazilian0.1%(11)
Greek0.1%(11)
Romanian0.1%(8)
Portuguese0.1%(7)
Croatian0.1%(6)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
49.0%
+20.5 ptssince 2000
from 28.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
97.7%
+7.8 ptssince 2000
from 89.9% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
18.1%
+8.3 ptssince 2000
from 9.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.4 min
+61%since 2000
from 16.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
82.0%
−5.5 ptssince 2009
from 87.5% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
2.8%
−5.4 ptssince 2009
from 8.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
12.5%
+10.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.4% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.8%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.7%
+3.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
1.4%
−5.3 ptssince 2011
from 6.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
70.1%
+2.8 ptssince 2011
from 67.3% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
83.5%
−7.7 ptssince 2020
from 91.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.1%
+2.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
53.1%
+16.2 ptssince 2009
from 36.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.3%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
Female
50.7%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
Foreign born
0.6%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
8.5%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
9.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2012
from 9.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
2.4%
−1.6 ptssince 2013
from 4.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.0%
+10.8 ptssince 2017
from 83.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
96.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 96.3% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
90.7%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 87.7% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
97.1%
+1.0 ptssince 2016
from 96.2% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.0%
+0.7 ptssince 2016
from 1.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married24.2%(1,023)
Married65.3%(2,763)
Widowed1.7%(70)
Divorced8.8%(374)
Women 15+
Never married20.2%(940)
Married60.9%(2,838)
Widowed8.5%(398)
Divorced10.4%(483)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
2.4%
−1.6 ptssince 2013
from 4.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
78.6%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 76.7% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
9.1%
−3.7 ptssince 2020
from 12.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.4%
+3.9 ptssince 2020
from 13.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
7.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 7.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.4%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
85.8%
−2.4 ptssince 2020
from 88.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
24.5%
+3.0 ptssince 2020
from 21.5% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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)27.1%(194)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)24.7%(177)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.5%(262)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.6%(19)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II4.2%(30)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 717 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
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
19905,524$88,591$190,32522.4%5.6
20007,922$105,661$229,52928.5%5.2
20109,707$105,395$292,46130.2%9.2
202010,999$130,294$276,70851.7%17.2
202411,127$107,606$293,00049.0%12.3

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.

Drill deeper

Places similar to Columbia

Gateway
Pop 11,176
Pebble Creek
Pop 10,447
Lakeland Highlands
Pop 12,102
Olympia Heights
Pop 12,399
Places similar to Columbia
Head to head

Compare Columbia to nearby cities

COLUMBIA VS
Oakville
Income$106,362−1%
Home value$318,600+9%
Population35,333+225%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA VS
Mehlville
Income$67,071−38%
Home value$218,400−25%
Population29,805+174%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA VS
Lemay
Income$60,399−44%
Home value$152,200−48%
Population16,228+49%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA VS
Concord
Income$89,038−17%
Home value$303,600+4%
Population18,368+69%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Columbia, Illinois?

Columbia, Illinois has about 11,127 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Columbia, Illinois?

The typical household in Columbia, Illinois earns about $107,606 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Columbia, Illinois expensive?

In Columbia, Illinois, the median home is worth about $293,000, and the typical rent is about $1,128 a month.

How educated are people in Columbia, Illinois?

About 49.0% of adults age 25 and over in Columbia, Illinois hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Columbia, Illinois?

About 5.4% of people in Columbia, Illinois live below the federal poverty line.

Has Columbia, Illinois grown since 1990?

Yes, Columbia, Illinois has grown since 1990. The population has added about 5,603 residents, a change of about 101 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →