CensusEasy
CITY · 2010 ACS

West Columbia

South Carolina · 14,988 residents · 9.37 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the Columbia metro area
Compare
The short version

West Columbia is home to 14,988 people in South Carolina. 51% of homes are owner-occupied. The typical home is worth $132,000, having risen by half since 2000. Getting to work takes 18 minutes on average. The population is up 15% since 2000. Median household income is $41,847, under the $52,703 national median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $52,703
Mid-age
median age 37.4
US median: 37.2
Average education
29% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 32%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
14,988
+15%since 2000
from 13,064 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
37.4
−3%since 2000
from 38.7 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
9.37 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
10K12K14K16K19K19902000201020202024West Columbia
202418K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 56.9%(1,027)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 94.8%(722)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 144.2%(627)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 195.1%(770)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 2410.1%(1,516)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3416.1%(2,417)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4412%(1,792)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5412.9%(1,938)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6411.6%(1,733)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 747.1%(1,061)
US avg: 7%
75 to 845.9%(884)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over3.3%(501)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$41,847
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $30,999 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$24,722
+36%since 2000
from $18,135 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
21.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 22.4% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
16.4%
−0.4 ptssince 2000
from 16.8% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.434
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Wholesale trade15.5%
US avg: 7.2%
Information11.3%
US avg: 11.5%
Retail trade7.6%
US avg: 10.9%
Other services6.8%
US avg: 7%
Public administration4.7%
US avg: 4.9%
Finance & insurance4.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical3.6%
US avg: 4.2%
Transportation & warehousing3.3%
US avg: 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 2.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.9%
US avg: 1.4%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$132,000
+32%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $79,200 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$679
+7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $499 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
50.8%
−3.5 ptssince 2000
from 54.3% in 2000
49.2% rent
Vacancy rate
9.3%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 8.5% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.20 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.24 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
21.9%
+2.5 ptssince 2009
from 19.4% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
40.0%
−4.0 ptssince 2009
from 44.0% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
3.2
+7%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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic72.6%(9,483)
Black19.6%(2,561)
Hispanic / Latino4.7%(609)
Asian1.7%(221)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic63.9%(9,579)
Black17.9%(2,676)
Hispanic / Latino14.5%(2,174)
Asian1.8%(269)
Other0.9%(131)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican13.5%(1,985)
Puerto Rican1.1%(161)
Guatemalan0.5%(73)
Panamanian0.4%(61)
Honduran0.2%(28)
Paraguayan0.2%(26)
Cuban0.1%(10)
Ecuadorian0.1%(10)
Salvadoran0.1%(8)
Ancestry
German14.2%(2,085)
American11.8%(1,729)
English11.3%(1,653)
Irish10.6%(1,554)
Scotch-Irish4.6%(677)
French2.5%(360)
Scottish1.7%(248)
Italian1.1%(167)
Dutch0.9%(126)
Welsh0.8%(113)
Polish0.5%(78)
+ 22 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.5%(68)
British0.4%(66)
Norwegian0.4%(56)
Danish0.3%(39)
Greek0.3%(37)
Bulgarian0.2%(32)
Arab0.2%(31)
Iranian0.2%(27)
West Indian0.2%(26)
Egyptian0.2%(24)
Swiss0.2%(24)
Ukrainian0.1%(17)
Portuguese0.1%(15)
Armenian0.1%(12)
Finnish0.1%(10)
Hungarian0.1%(9)
Slovak0.1%(9)
Canadian0.1%(8)
Latvian0.1%(8)
Belgian0%(5)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
28.8%
+8.2 ptssince 2000
from 20.6% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
81.9%
+3.3 ptssince 2000
from 78.6% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
12.3%
+6.0 ptssince 2000
from 6.2% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
17.9 min
+52%since 2000
from 11.8 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
77.6%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 76.3% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
9.6%
−4.4 ptssince 2009
from 14.0% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
0.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
2.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 2.2% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
1.8%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
1.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
8.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 8.7% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
13.9%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 14.1% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
28.9%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 30.6% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.8%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Female
49.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Foreign born
14.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 15.2% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
11.2%
−2.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.3% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
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

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

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
Drill deeper

Places similar to West Columbia

Lake Wales
Pop 18,650
Pinewood
Pop 18,114
Orange City
Pop 15,309
Elfers
Pop 15,006
Places similar to West Columbia
Head to head

Compare West Columbia to nearby cities

WEST COLUMBIA VS
Oak Grove
Income$74,554+78%
Home value$210,300+59%
Population12,256−34%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WEST COLUMBIA VS
St. Andrews
Income$46,511+11%
Home value$161,300+22%
Population19,868+7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WEST COLUMBIA VS
Cayce
Income$62,045+48%
Home value$166,800+26%
Population13,680−26%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WEST COLUMBIA VS
Seven Oaks
Income$62,955+50%
Home value$208,400+58%
Population15,921−14%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in West Columbia, South Carolina?

West Columbia, South Carolina has about 14,988 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in West Columbia, South Carolina earns about $41,847 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 $132,000, and the typical rent is about $679 a month.

How educated are people in West Columbia, South Carolina?

About 28.8% 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 16.4% 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 4,400 residents, a change of about 42 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

Up the hierarchy
South Carolina

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

How we source and harmonize this data →