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CITY

Columbia

Missouri · 130,851 residents (2025 est.) · 67.31 sq mi
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Notable rankings
#223Largest by populationof 4,896130,851#336Youngest by median ageof 6,82629.5
The short version

Columbia has lower-than-average household income, with a median household income of $66,498. The city has grown rapidly, with population up 52% since 2000. 57% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 36%. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $284,600. At a median age of 29.5, residents skew younger than the country as a whole. 57% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, well above the US average, yet household income trails the national figure — a profile common to graduate-student tracts and academic hubs.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 29.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
57% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 41%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
128,548
+52%since 2000
from 84,531 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,910 / sq mi
+30%since 2009
from 1,468 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
29.5
+10%since 2000
from 26.8 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:130,851 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
63K81K99K117K134K1990201020202024Columbia
2024129K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.1%(6,606)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.6%(7,166)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.9%(6,358)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 1910%(12,841)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2417.2%(22,169)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3415.3%(19,613)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.6%(16,168)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 549.1%(11,762)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 648.5%(10,982)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 746.5%(8,347)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.5%(4,499)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.6%(2,037)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$66,498
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $33,729 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$39,340
+102%since 2000
from $19,507 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
44.6%
+19.8 ptssince 2009
from 24.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
19.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2000
from 19.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.495
+2%since 2010
from 0.487 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information8.9%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services8.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration6.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Retail trade6%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade3.4%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance2.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.2%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$284,600
+41%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $110,700 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,097
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $525 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
48.7%
+1.4 ptssince 2000
from 47.3% in 2000
51.3% rent
Vacancy rate
6.2%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
15.1%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 18.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
48.7%
−3.4 ptssince 2009
from 52.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.3
+10%since 2009
from 3.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
58
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Columbia on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic80.4%(67,984)
Black10.8%(9,106)
Hispanic / Latino2.1%(1,733)
Asian4.3%(3,624)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic71.7%(92,127)
Black12.1%(15,524)
Hispanic / Latino4.4%(5,680)
Asian6.3%(8,106)
Other5.5%(7,111)
Diversity Score
58
+34%since 2009
from 43 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
Mexican2.6%(3,386)
Peruvian0.3%(389)
Puerto Rican0.2%(284)
Cuban0.2%(229)
Bolivian0.2%(219)
Colombian0.2%(212)
Spaniard0.1%(123)
Guatemalan0.1%(87)
Honduran0.1%(70)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Chinese1.5%(1,956)
Asian Indian1.3%(1,624)
Korean0.7%(886)
Vietnamese0.5%(672)
Cambodian0.5%(658)
Filipino0.4%(554)
Nepalese0.2%(317)
Pakistani0.1%(162)
Japanese0.1%(131)
Thai0.1%(130)
Kazakh0.1%(116)
Taiwanese0.1%(69)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0%(34)
Laotian0%(33)
Mongolian0%(23)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(144)
Chamorro0%(16)
Ancestry
German23.7%(30,527)
English14.3%(18,359)
Irish12.4%(15,984)
American4.6%(5,938)
Italian3.3%(4,259)
Scottish2.3%(2,984)
French1.8%(2,251)
Polish1.4%(1,809)
Norwegian1.1%(1,436)
Dutch1.1%(1,367)
Scotch-Irish1%(1,302)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.8%(1,072)
British0.6%(815)
Russian0.6%(724)
Greek0.6%(710)
Welsh0.5%(705)
Arab0.5%(625)
Danish0.4%(537)
West Indian0.4%(461)
Swiss0.4%(452)
Czech0.3%(442)
Nigerian0.3%(337)
Iranian0.3%(332)
Hungarian0.2%(283)
Belgian0.2%(227)
Haitian0.2%(198)
Finnish0.1%(184)
Portuguese0.1%(169)
Iraqi0.1%(166)
Ethiopian0.1%(162)
Kenyan0.1%(145)
Austrian0.1%(125)
Turkish0.1%(125)
Ghanaian0.1%(116)
Lithuanian0.1%(115)
Jamaican0.1%(115)
Lebanese0.1%(108)
Australian0.1%(88)
Romanian0.1%(86)
Croatian0.1%(84)
Egyptian0.1%(68)
Syrian0%(64)
Ukrainian0%(53)
Brazilian0%(50)
Moroccan0%(34)
Israeli0%(33)
Slovak0%(33)
Slovene0%(31)
Barbadian0%(19)
Jordanian0%(18)
Bulgarian0%(17)
Serbian0%(16)
Canadian0%(12)
Somali0%(5)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest English population · Largest Irish population · Largest American population · Largest Italian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
56.7%
+6.3 ptssince 2000
from 50.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
95.7%
+4.6 ptssince 2000
from 91.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
26.7%
+2.8 ptssince 2000
from 24.0% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
16.4 min
+57%since 2000
from 10.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
73.7%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 74.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 11.9% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
10.0%
+6.8 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
5.4%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 6.5% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.7%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
7.1%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 8.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.0%
−2.1 ptssince 2011
from 6.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.0%
−1.7 ptssince 2011
from 67.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
17.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 18.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
52.3%
−19.5 ptssince 2009
from 71.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.1%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 48.6% in 2009
Female
51.9%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 51.4% in 2009
Foreign born
8.1%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
4.6%
−43.5 ptssince 2009
from 48.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.2%
+2.8 ptssince 2012
from 9.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.9%
−84.7 ptssince 2013
from 90.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
90.5%
+9.0 ptssince 2017
from 81.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
89.1%
−1.2 ptssince 2016
from 90.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.0%
+1.1 ptssince 2016
from 1.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married52.2%(26,839)
Married40.1%(20,599)
Widowed1.6%(828)
Divorced6.1%(3,142)
Women 15+
Never married48.8%(27,826)
Married35.7%(20,338)
Widowed4.9%(2,815)
Divorced10.6%(6,031)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
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Compare Columbia to nearby cities

COLUMBIA VS
Fulton
Income$51,429−23%
Home value$155,900−45%
Population12,853−90%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA VS
Jefferson City
Income$66,371same
Home value$218,700−23%
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COLUMBIA VS
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Income$50,873−23%
Home value$139,800−51%
Population11,558−91%
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COLUMBIA VS
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Home value$153,100−46%
Population13,719−90%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Columbia, Missouri?

Columbia, Missouri has about 128,548 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Columbia, Missouri?

The typical household in Columbia, Missouri earns about $66,498 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Columbia, Missouri expensive?

In Columbia, Missouri, the median home is worth about $284,600, and the typical rent is about $1,097 a month.

How educated are people in Columbia, Missouri?

About 56.7% of adults age 25 and over in Columbia, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Columbia, Missouri?

About 19.3% of people in Columbia, Missouri live below the federal poverty line.

Has Columbia, Missouri grown since 1990?

Yes, Columbia, Missouri has grown since 1990. The population has added about 59,447 residents, a change of about 86 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 →