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COUNTY

Columbia County

Florida · 74,094 residents (2025 est.) · 797 sq mi
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The short version

With 71,789 people, Columbia County is a county in Florida. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 17% of adults. The typical home is worth $194,900, having roughly tripled since 2000. 15,276 more people live here than in 2000. The foreign-born share is 5%. That trails the Florida median by roughly 21%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.7
US median: 38.9
Less educated
17% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 69%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
71,789
+27%since 2000
from 56,513 in 2000
74,094 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
90 / sq mi
+7%since 2009
from 85 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
40.7
+9%since 2000
from 37.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
797 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
40K48K57K66K75K19902000201020202024Columbia County
202472K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.5%(3,961)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97%(5,047)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.8%(4,144)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196%(4,299)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.7%(4,113)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.5%(8,227)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.3%(9,549)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.5%(8,233)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.5%(9,664)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.9%(8,523)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847%(5,038)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.4%(991)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$59,205
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $30,881 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$29,367
+101%since 2000
from $14,598 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
37.5%
+18.3 ptssince 2009
from 19.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
16.7%
+1.7 ptssince 2000
from 15.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.449
+4%since 2010
from 0.432 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information13.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade10.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance7.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Retail trade4.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services4.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.5%
US avg: 4.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction2.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1.3%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.7%
US avg: 1.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$194,900
+69%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $63,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$976
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $448 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
72.5%
−4.7 ptssince 2000
from 77.2% in 2000
27.5% rent
Vacancy rate
9.5%
−4.3 ptssince 2009
from 13.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.47 people
−13%since 2009
from 2.84 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.2%
−10.5 ptssince 2009
from 27.7% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
42.6%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 44.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.3
+1%since 2009
from 3.3 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
28
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic78%(44,058)
Black16.8%(9,522)
Hispanic / Latino2.7%(1,546)
Asian0.7%(372)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic70.3%(50,441)
Black16.1%(11,550)
Hispanic / Latino7.9%(5,663)
Asian1%(691)
Other4.8%(3,444)
Diversity Score
59
+21%since 2009
from 49 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
27
−11%since 2020
from 31 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican2.6%(1,844)
Mexican2.4%(1,691)
Honduran0.8%(548)
Cuban0.6%(444)
Dominican0.3%(208)
Spaniard0.2%(174)
Peruvian0.2%(171)
Colombian0.2%(114)
Salvadoran0.1%(91)
Costa Rican0.1%(68)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.1%(51)
Guatemalan0.1%(37)
Chilean0%(25)
Asian origin
Vietnamese0.3%(224)
Asian Indian0.2%(162)
Filipino0.2%(150)
Korean0.1%(57)
Chinese0.1%(55)
Thai0.1%(39)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
English15.9%(11,444)
German12.2%(8,763)
Irish11.6%(8,361)
American11.5%(8,281)
Italian3.1%(2,245)
French2%(1,415)
Polish1.6%(1,158)
Swedish1.4%(1,000)
Scotch-Irish1.4%(988)
Scottish1.3%(918)
+ 31 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch1%(709)
Haitian0.5%(351)
Jamaican0.5%(332)
Norwegian0.4%(307)
Hungarian0.3%(249)
Welsh0.3%(205)
Russian0.3%(188)
British0.2%(178)
Lithuanian0.2%(167)
Czech0.2%(157)
Canadian0.2%(120)
Armenian0.1%(92)
Belgian0.1%(85)
Swiss0.1%(79)
Austrian0.1%(65)
Slovak0.1%(63)
Iranian0.1%(62)
Nigerian0.1%(62)
Ukrainian0.1%(60)
Greek0.1%(58)
Danish0.1%(44)
Portuguese0.1%(43)
Arab0.1%(41)
Romanian0%(30)
Moroccan0%(15)
Iraqi0%(12)
Croatian0%(10)
Syrian0%(8)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
16.8%
+5.9 ptssince 2000
from 10.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
86.0%
+11.3 ptssince 2000
from 74.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2000
from 4.0% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.8 min
+52%since 2000
from 16.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
77.1%
−4.0 ptssince 2009
from 81.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
11.7%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 12.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
8.3%
+5.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.1% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.5%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 4.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.3%
−10.7 ptssince 2011
from 16.0% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
54.3%
−1.4 ptssince 2011
from 55.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
69.5%
+2.9 ptssince 2020
from 66.6% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.4%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 15.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
32.0%
+4.5 ptssince 2009
from 27.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
51.7%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 50.9% in 2009
Female
48.3%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 49.1% in 2009
Foreign born
4.7%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
11.1%
−4.9 ptssince 2009
from 16.0% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
21.2%
+0.9 ptssince 2012
from 20.3% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
12.6%
−5.9 ptssince 2013
from 18.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
89.1%
+16.0 ptssince 2017
from 73.1% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.5%
+3.5 ptssince 2020
from 92.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
82.1%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 81.2% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
92.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2016
from 92.8% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
5.5%
+1.2 ptssince 2016
from 4.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35.4%(10,633)
Married48.8%(14,651)
Widowed4.2%(1,269)
Divorced11.6%(3,482)
Women 15+
Never married26.6%(7,617)
Married50.5%(14,439)
Widowed9.3%(2,670)
Divorced13.6%(3,876)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
12.6%
−5.9 ptssince 2013
from 18.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
41.4%
−2.2 ptssince 2020
from 43.6% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 15.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
22.3%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 22.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
26.0%
+2.8 ptssince 2020
from 23.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
6.3%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 7.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
56.2%
−1.6 ptssince 2020
from 57.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
45.8%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 43.4% 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)18.8%(1,162)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)23.1%(1,430)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era41.1%(2,538)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.2%(133)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.3%(18)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 6,180 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 Columbia County

Walker County
Pop 70,250
Liberty County
Pop 70,313
Troup County
Pop 72,844
Vermilion County
Pop 71,259
Places similar to Columbia County
Head to head

Compare Columbia County to nearby counties

COLUMBIA COUNTY VS
Union County
Income$64,146+8%
Home value$169,500−13%
Population16,250−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA COUNTY VS
Baker County
Income$79,836+35%
Home value$256,700+32%
Population29,737−60%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA COUNTY VS
Suwannee County
Income$56,658−4%
Home value$171,600−12%
Population48,149−35%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA COUNTY VS
Hamilton County
Income$50,144−15%
Home value$111,200−43%
Population14,180−81%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Columbia County, Florida?

Columbia County, Florida has about 71,789 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Columbia County, Florida?

The typical household in Columbia County, Florida earns about $59,205 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Columbia County, Florida expensive?

In Columbia County, Florida, the median home is worth about $194,900, and the typical rent is about $976 a month.

How educated are people in Columbia County, Florida?

About 16.8% of adults age 25 and over in Columbia County, Florida hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Columbia County, Florida?

About 16.7% of people in Columbia County, Florida live below the federal poverty line.

Has Columbia County, Florida grown since 1990?

Yes, Columbia County, Florida has grown since 1990. The population has added about 29,176 residents, a change of about 68 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 →