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CITY

West Columbia

South Carolina · 18,489 residents (2025 est.) · 9.37 sq mi
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The short version

West Columbia is a city of 17,963 people in South Carolina. The population is up 38% since 2000. The typical home is worth $201,700, having more than doubled since 2000. 55% of homes are owner-occupied. Density works out to 1,916 people per square mile. Getting to work takes 19 minutes on average.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.6
US median: 38.9
More educated
41% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 40%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
17,963
+38%since 2000
from 13,064 in 2000
18,489 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,916 / sq mi
+30%since 2009
from 1,470 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
38.6
Unchangedsince 2000
from 38.7 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
9.37 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
10K12K14K16K19K19902000201020202024West Columbia
202418K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 57.1%(1,273)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 93.5%(635)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.2%(933)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 192.3%(413)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 249.8%(1,754)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3416.9%(3,028)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.7%(2,276)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 549.5%(1,699)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.3%(2,024)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.7%(1,918)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846%(1,084)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over5.2%(926)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$56,912
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $30,999 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$36,920
+104%since 2000
from $18,135 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
36.9%
+14.5 ptssince 2009
from 22.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
13.7%
−3.1 ptssince 2000
from 16.8% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.433
Unchangedsince 2010
from 0.434 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information13.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade10.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade7.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services4.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration4%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance2.9%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.3%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
Construction0.1%
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$201,700
+40%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $79,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,201
+32%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $499 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
55.3%
+1.1 ptssince 2000
from 54.3% in 2000
44.7% rent
Vacancy rate
8.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 8.5% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.07 people
−8%since 2009
from 2.24 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 19.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.8%
+2.7 ptssince 2009
from 44.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.5
+20%since 2009
from 2.9 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
52
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic72.6%(9,483)
Black19.6%(2,561)
Hispanic / Latino4.7%(609)
Asian1.7%(221)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic63.5%(11,403)
Black16.1%(2,894)
Hispanic / Latino12.4%(2,220)
Asian4.3%(767)
Other3.8%(679)
Diversity Score
69
+9%since 2009
from 63 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
Mexican7.1%(1,278)
Guatemalan1.9%(337)
Puerto Rican0.9%(170)
Colombian0.6%(99)
Cuban0.4%(72)
Salvadoran0.4%(64)
Honduran0.3%(49)
Panamanian0.1%(19)
Peruvian0.1%(18)
Costa Rican0.1%(17)
+ 3 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.1%(14)
Asian origin
Chinese1.6%(292)
Asian Indian1.3%(227)
Bangladeshi0.6%(107)
Korean0.3%(45)
Cambodian0.2%(32)
Laotian0.2%(32)
Taiwanese0.1%(12)
Thai0.1%(11)
Ancestry
English13.6%(2,446)
German12%(2,159)
Irish7.5%(1,340)
American6.2%(1,112)
Scotch-Irish2.3%(408)
French2%(354)
Italian1.9%(344)
Scottish1.6%(280)
Polish1.5%(272)
Arab0.9%(168)
Iranian0.8%(152)
+ 25 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.8%(143)
British0.7%(128)
Swedish0.6%(115)
Egyptian0.5%(98)
Greek0.4%(71)
Swiss0.3%(60)
Lebanese0.3%(51)
Hungarian0.2%(41)
Ukrainian0.2%(39)
Slovene0.2%(35)
Armenian0.2%(27)
Nigerian0.1%(24)
Austrian0.1%(22)
Jordanian0.1%(19)
Portuguese0.1%(16)
Slovak0.1%(15)
Cape Verdean0.1%(15)
Czech0.1%(14)
Norwegian0.1%(14)
Belgian0.1%(12)
West Indian0.1%(12)
Barbadian0.1%(12)
Finnish0.1%(11)
Latvian0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
40.9%
+20.3 ptssince 2000
from 20.6% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.5%
+12.0 ptssince 2000
from 78.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
16.0%
+9.8 ptssince 2000
from 6.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.5 min
+65%since 2000
from 11.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 76.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.7%
−5.3 ptssince 2009
from 14.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
9.8%
+7.7 ptssince 2009
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
12.8%
+4.1 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.8%
−1.8 ptssince 2011
from 6.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
62.7%
−2.5 ptssince 2011
from 65.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.2%
+5.0 ptssince 2020
from 72.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
20.1%
+6.0 ptssince 2009
from 14.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
45.0%
+14.3 ptssince 2009
from 30.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
45.0%
−5.8 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Female
55.0%
+5.8 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Foreign born
10.3%
−4.9 ptssince 2009
from 15.2% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
8.2%
−5.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
16.1%
+5.3 ptssince 2012
from 10.8% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
10.8%
−11.0 ptssince 2013
from 21.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
88.2%
+19.5 ptssince 2017
from 68.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
92.1%
+3.6 ptssince 2020
from 88.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
82.3%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 83.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
85.0%
−2.5 ptssince 2016
from 87.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
9.0%
−1.9 ptssince 2016
from 10.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35.3%(2,417)
Married46.4%(3,170)
Widowed6.3%(433)
Divorced12%(818)
Women 15+
Never married35.3%(2,927)
Married37.5%(3,103)
Widowed12.5%(1,033)
Divorced14.7%(1,221)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
10.8%
−11.0 ptssince 2013
from 21.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
52.3%
+3.9 ptssince 2020
from 48.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
17.6%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 16.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
22.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 22.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
17.1%
−3.1 ptssince 2020
from 20.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.2%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 4.2% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
70.2%
+6.5 ptssince 2020
from 63.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
37.6%
−3.8 ptssince 2020
from 41.4% 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)35.4%(426)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)25.3%(305)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era38.5%(464)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.2%(63)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.2%(3)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,204 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
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Compare West Columbia to nearby cities

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WEST COLUMBIA VS
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WEST COLUMBIA VS
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Income$62,045+9%
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WEST COLUMBIA VS
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Frequently asked

How many people live in West Columbia, South Carolina?

West Columbia, South Carolina has about 17,963 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in West Columbia, South Carolina?

The typical household in West Columbia, South Carolina earns about $56,912 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is West Columbia, South Carolina expensive?

In West Columbia, South Carolina, the median home is worth about $201,700, and the typical rent is about $1,201 a month.

How educated are people in West Columbia, South Carolina?

About 40.9% of adults age 25 and over in West Columbia, South Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in West Columbia, South Carolina?

About 13.7% of people in West Columbia, South Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has West Columbia, South Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, West Columbia, South Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 7,375 residents, a change of about 70 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 →

West Columbia, South Carolina: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy