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CITY

Columbia

Maryland · 104,338 residents · 31.9 sq mi
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The short version

Columbia is home to 104,338 people in Maryland. 64% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Few US cities rank higher on income. Households take in $131,490 a year at the median, 60% more than the country as a whole. There are 3,267 people per square mile. Households here earn about 27% more than in Maryland as a whole.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.4
US median: 38.9
More educated
64% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 58%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
104,338
+18%since 2000
from 88,254 in 2000
1990 – 2024
Population density
3,267 / sq mi
+15%since 2009
from 2,835 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
39.4
+11%since 2000
from 35.5 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
31.9 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
73K82K91K100K110K19902000201020202024Columbia
2024104K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.6%(5,806)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.1%(5,300)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.7%(7,038)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.3%(6,585)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.9%(6,160)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.9%(14,528)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.7%(15,356)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.2%(12,698)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.3%(12,825)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.5%(9,921)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.4%(5,669)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.4%(2,452)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$131,490
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $71,524 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$64,255
+96%since 2000
from $32,833 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
75.0%
+14.7 ptssince 2009
from 60.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
7.5%
+2.1 ptssince 2000
from 5.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.405
+3%since 2010
from 0.392 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information6.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services5.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade4.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Public administration3.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance3.3%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade3.3%
US avg: 6.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.3%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.3%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.3%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$497,400
+58%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $172,700 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,042
+22%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $922 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
64.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2000
from 66.2% in 2000
35.2% rent
Vacancy rate
4.9%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.52 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.50 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.6%
−6.4 ptssince 2009
from 25.0% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
43.5%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 44.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.8
−10%since 2009
from 4.2 in 2009
2009 – 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
32
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic64.4%(56,794)
Black21.2%(18,721)
Hispanic / Latino4.1%(3,636)
Asian7.3%(6,422)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic42.3%(44,173)
Black28%(29,259)
Hispanic / Latino10.1%(10,536)
Asian11.8%(12,348)
Other7.7%(8,022)
Diversity Score
89
+18%since 2009
from 75 in 2009
2009 – 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
Central American3.4%(3,539)
Salvadoran2%(2,073)
South American1.9%(1,981)
Puerto Rican1.6%(1,645)
Mexican1.2%(1,201)
Honduran1%(1,034)
Colombian0.6%(624)
Peruvian0.5%(564)
Cuban0.4%(427)
Venezuelan0.3%(305)
Dominican0.3%(261)
Spaniard0.2%(237)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0.2%(185)
Guatemalan0.2%(181)
Costa Rican0.1%(155)
Bolivian0.1%(141)
Uruguayan0.1%(103)
Panamanian0.1%(96)
Asian origin
Asian Indian3.2%(3,381)
Chinese2.9%(2,981)
Korean2.1%(2,194)
Pakistani0.9%(894)
Filipino0.8%(783)
Vietnamese0.5%(570)
Bangladeshi0.4%(449)
Thai0.2%(208)
Malaysian0.2%(198)
Taiwanese0.1%(141)
Japanese0.1%(93)
Burmese0%(39)
+ 5 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(64)
Chamorro0%(15)
Ancestry
German10.7%(11,124)
Irish9.5%(9,866)
English8.3%(8,649)
Italian4.9%(5,104)
American3.1%(3,284)
Polish3%(3,139)
West Indian2.2%(2,347)
Scottish1.9%(1,961)
Russian1.7%(1,822)
Nigerian1.3%(1,394)
Jamaican1.3%(1,328)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
French1.2%(1,289)
Arab1%(1,015)
Ethiopian1%(1,008)
Iranian0.8%(820)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(809)
Norwegian0.8%(783)
Welsh0.7%(688)
Czech0.6%(578)
Swedish0.6%(576)
Lithuanian0.5%(541)
Hungarian0.5%(532)
Ghanaian0.5%(502)
Greek0.4%(465)
Haitian0.4%(440)
British0.4%(433)
Ukrainian0.4%(430)
Guyanese0.4%(419)
Portuguese0.4%(404)
Slovak0.4%(380)
Brazilian0.3%(356)
Dutch0.3%(343)
Danish0.3%(319)
Romanian0.3%(302)
Turkish0.2%(240)
Kenyan0.2%(235)
Syrian0.2%(233)
Lebanese0.2%(205)
Cape Verdean0.2%(192)
Austrian0.2%(190)
Canadian0.2%(183)
Swiss0.2%(168)
Egyptian0.1%(155)
Finnish0.1%(142)
Latvian0.1%(102)
Somali0.1%(86)
Belgian0.1%(80)
Croatian0%(51)
Barbadian0%(46)
Israeli0%(39)
Armenian0%(34)
Jordanian0%(31)
Iraqi0%(26)
Bulgarian0%(25)
Slovene0%(24)
Serbian0%(19)
Moroccan0%(14)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
63.6%
+4.5 ptssince 2000
from 59.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
95.6%
+1.3 ptssince 2000
from 94.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
34.9%
+6.1 ptssince 2000
from 28.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
27.9 min
+25%since 2000
from 22.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
65.5%
−13.3 ptssince 2009
from 78.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
5.2%
−3.6 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
2.0%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
24.8%
+19.9 ptssince 2009
from 4.8% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.5%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.4% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.8%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 5.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.2%
−2.0 ptssince 2011
from 6.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
69.9%
−4.8 ptssince 2011
from 74.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
82.5%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 81.4% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
16.8%
+2.3 ptssince 2009
from 14.5% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
65.3%
+6.2 ptssince 2009
from 59.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
51.6%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
20.8%
+4.2 ptssince 2009
from 16.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.1%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
10.5%
+2.9 ptssince 2012
from 7.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.6%
−3.1 ptssince 2013
from 7.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
95.8%
+3.0 ptssince 2017
from 92.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
98.5%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 96.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.4%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 85.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
74.3%
−2.2 ptssince 2016
from 76.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
7.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2016
from 7.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married36.7%(14,999)
Married54.6%(22,321)
Widowed1.4%(588)
Divorced7.3%(2,966)
Women 15+
Never married32.1%(14,535)
Married47.3%(21,424)
Widowed7.8%(3,535)
Divorced12.9%(5,826)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
4.6%
−3.1 ptssince 2013
from 7.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
70.9%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 70.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
10.9%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 11.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 16.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
15.0%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 15.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.1%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 1.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
80.4%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 79.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
30.2%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 29.2% 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)34.1%(1,975)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)33.3%(1,932)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era27.3%(1,582)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.9%(227)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.4%(26)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 5,796 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
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Columbia to nearby cities

COLUMBIA VS
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COLUMBIA VS
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COLUMBIA VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Columbia, Maryland?

Columbia, Maryland has about 104,338 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Columbia, Maryland?

The typical household in Columbia, Maryland earns about $131,490 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Columbia, Maryland expensive?

In Columbia, Maryland, the median home is worth about $497,400, and the typical rent is about $2,042 a month.

How educated are people in Columbia, Maryland?

About 63.6% of adults age 25 and over in Columbia, Maryland hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Columbia, Maryland?

About 7.5% of people in Columbia, Maryland live below the federal poverty line.

Has Columbia, Maryland grown since 1990?

Yes, Columbia, Maryland has grown since 1990. The population has added about 28,455 residents, a change of about 37 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 →