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COUNTY

Columbia County

Wisconsin · 58,132 residents (2025 est.) · 766 sq mi
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The short version

With 58,272 people, Columbia County is a county in Wisconsin. Few US counties rank higher on income. The median age is 43.7, about 5 years above the US median. 2% of locals were born outside the United States. Owners hold 77% of the housing stock. About 26% of adults have finished a four-year degree.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 43.7
US median: 38.9
Less educated
26% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 31%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
58,272
+11%since 2000
from 52,468 in 2000
58,132 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
76 / sq mi
+6%since 2009
from 72 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
43.7
+15%since 2000
from 38.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
766 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
44K48K52K56K60K19902000201020202024Columbia County
202458K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55%(2,900)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.5%(3,184)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.1%(3,533)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196%(3,487)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245.1%(2,981)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.4%(6,664)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.2%(7,707)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.7%(7,403)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6415.4%(8,991)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7412%(6,970)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.7%(3,319)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(1,133)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$85,351
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,064 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$42,924
+104%since 2000
from $21,014 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
56.2%
+24.0 ptssince 2009
from 32.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
7.8%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 5.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.400
+3%since 2010
from 0.390 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade16.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade8.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services5.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance5.3%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration4.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical4.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3.4%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction3.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Transportation & warehousing2.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services1.1%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.2%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$283,200
+31%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $118,700 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$978
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $507 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
76.7%
+1.8 ptssince 2000
from 74.8% in 2000
23.3% rent
Vacancy rate
10.1%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.35 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.36 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.2%
−12.6 ptssince 2009
from 30.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
33.0%
−6.8 ptssince 2009
from 39.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.3
+6%since 2009
from 3.1 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
47
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic96.2%(50,476)
Black0.8%(432)
Hispanic / Latino1.6%(827)
Asian0.3%(173)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic90.3%(52,592)
Black1.6%(949)
Hispanic / Latino4.1%(2,385)
Asian0.8%(458)
Other3.2%(1,888)
Diversity Score
23
+93%since 2009
from 12 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
19
−9%since 2020
from 21 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
Mexican2.4%(1,377)
Puerto Rican0.4%(207)
Colombian0.2%(117)
Nicaraguan0.1%(82)
Guatemalan0.1%(81)
Peruvian0.1%(71)
Dominican0.1%(66)
Cuban0.1%(44)
+ 3 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0%(12)
Honduran0%(11)
Spaniard0%(10)
Asian origin
Hmong0.2%(113)
Chinese0.2%(110)
Filipino0.1%(75)
Korean0.1%(72)
Japanese0%(18)
Burmese0%(15)
Mongolian0%(14)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(34)
Ancestry
German40%(23,293)
Irish12.4%(7,251)
Norwegian10.2%(5,964)
English9.4%(5,486)
Polish5%(2,905)
American3.8%(2,196)
Italian2.9%(1,667)
Dutch2.8%(1,612)
French2%(1,194)
Scottish1.4%(827)
Swedish1.4%(788)
Swiss1%(597)
+ 32 more ancestry groups with data
Czech0.8%(477)
Welsh0.5%(313)
Danish0.5%(293)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(262)
Russian0.3%(195)
Ukrainian0.3%(166)
Belgian0.3%(149)
British0.2%(134)
Lithuanian0.2%(123)
Hungarian0.2%(122)
Nigerian0.2%(111)
Finnish0.2%(105)
Austrian0.2%(96)
Greek0.1%(82)
Slovak0.1%(71)
Brazilian0.1%(64)
Croatian0.1%(32)
Armenian0.1%(31)
Canadian0%(25)
Turkish0%(25)
Slovene0%(18)
Jamaican0%(11)
Latvian0%(5)
Serbian0%(4)
Arab0%(3)
Syrian0%(3)
Iranian0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
26.0%
+9.3 ptssince 2000
from 16.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.0%
+7.8 ptssince 2000
from 86.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
8.0%
+2.8 ptssince 2000
from 5.3% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.0 min
+46%since 2000
from 17.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.9%
−5.0 ptssince 2009
from 81.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.0%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 10.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
12.5%
+8.2 ptssince 2009
from 4.3% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.4% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.4%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 4.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.1%
−2.7 ptssince 2011
from 5.8% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
65.7%
−4.2 ptssince 2011
from 69.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
81.7%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 82.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 12.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
39.0%
+10.1 ptssince 2009
from 28.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
51.2%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 50.6% in 2009
Female
48.8%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 49.4% in 2009
Foreign born
2.4%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 1.9% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.9%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 11.9% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
11.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2012
from 10.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.0%
−2.3 ptssince 2013
from 7.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
88.3%
+11.5 ptssince 2017
from 76.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
93.8%
+3.7 ptssince 2020
from 90.1% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
90.6%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 87.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
95.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2016
from 95.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2016
from 2.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married31.8%(7,891)
Married54.6%(13,551)
Widowed2.9%(712)
Divorced10.8%(2,684)
Women 15+
Never married24.2%(5,758)
Married54.2%(12,918)
Widowed9.5%(2,273)
Divorced12%(2,868)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
5.0%
−2.3 ptssince 2013
from 7.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
62.7%
−2.5 ptssince 2020
from 65.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
17.6%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 16.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.9%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 19.1% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
15.3%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 13.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
77.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2020
from 80.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
34.0%
+3.2 ptssince 2020
from 30.8% 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)21.1%(766)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)23.7%(863)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era30.9%(1,124)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.4%(124)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.6%(22)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 3,635 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

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Pop 56,898
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Pop 53,568
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Pop 51,609
Kenai Peninsula
Pop 61,951
Places similar to Columbia County
Head to head

Compare Columbia County to nearby counties

COLUMBIA COUNTY VS
Marquette County
Income$65,681−23%
Home value$210,400−26%
Population15,927−73%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA COUNTY VS
Green Lake County
Income$68,196−20%
Home value$215,400−24%
Population19,305−67%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA COUNTY VS
Dane County
Income$89,975+5%
Home value$394,800+39%
Population590,375+916%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA COUNTY VS
Sauk County
Income$79,541−7%
Home value$258,600−9%
Population66,652+15%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Columbia County, Wisconsin?

Columbia County, Wisconsin has about 58,272 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Columbia County, Wisconsin earns about $85,351 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Columbia County, Wisconsin expensive?

In Columbia County, Wisconsin, the median home is worth about $283,200, and the typical rent is about $978 a month.

How educated are people in Columbia County, Wisconsin?

About 26.0% of adults age 25 and over in Columbia County, Wisconsin hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Columbia County, Wisconsin?

About 7.8% of people in Columbia County, Wisconsin live below the federal poverty line.

Has Columbia County, Wisconsin grown since 1990?

Yes, Columbia County, Wisconsin has grown since 1990. The population has added about 13,184 residents, a change of about 29 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 →