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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Columbia Metro

Columbia, SC · 6 counties · 829,470 residents · 3,703 sq mi
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The short version

With 829,470 people, Columbia is a metro area. Growth has run 28% since 2000, or 182,312 more people. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $159,545. 5% of people across the metro were born outside the United States. Median household income is $56,750, under the $66,278 national median. 33% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 38.5
US median: 38.8
Average education
33% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
829,470
+28%since 2000
from 647,158 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
224 / sq mi
+28%since 2000
from 175 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
38.5
+12%since 2000
from 34.5 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
3,703 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
518K609K699K789K879K19902000201020202024Columbia
2024849K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.4%(44,762)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96%(49,518)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.6%(54,630)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 197.6%(62,729)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.1%(59,271)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3413%(107,915)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.4%(102,869)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.4%(102,589)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.1%(108,967)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7410.2%(84,369)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.7%(38,571)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.6%(13,280)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$56,750
−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,794 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$30,706
+52%since 2000
from $20,262 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
37.4%
+8.3 ptssince 2009
from 29.0% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
14.9%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 12.4% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information11.1%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade9.4%
US avg: 10%
Other services7.5%
US avg: 6.6%
Wholesale trade6.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration5.8%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance5.3%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical4.1%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.7%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services1.2%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.7%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$159,545
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $90,022 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$932
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $537 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
67.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2000
from 70.0% in 2000
32.2% rent
Persons per household
2.50 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.48 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
2.8
+2%since 2009
from 2.8 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-Hispanic62.3%(403,452)
Black32.7%(211,528)
Hispanic / Latino2.4%(15,608)
Asian1.2%(7,920)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic54.5%(452,439)
Black32.1%(266,196)
Hispanic / Latino6.7%(55,280)
Asian2.2%(18,554)
Other3%(24,989)
Segregation Score
45
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
Mexican2.9%(24,190)
Puerto Rican1%(8,316)
Central American0.7%(5,821)
South American0.4%(3,215)
Honduran0.3%(2,250)
Guatemalan0.3%(2,168)
Cuban0.3%(2,149)
Colombian0.2%(1,902)
Spaniard0.1%(893)
Dominican0.1%(735)
Panamanian0.1%(599)
Venezuelan0.1%(390)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Salvadoran0%(361)
Peruvian0%(326)
Ecuadorian0%(293)
Nicaraguan0%(208)
Bolivian0%(145)
Argentine0%(96)
Chilean0%(63)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.7%(5,275)
Chinese0.4%(3,414)
Korean0.3%(2,760)
Filipino0.3%(1,985)
Vietnamese0.2%(1,686)
Burmese0.1%(618)
Japanese0.1%(572)
Thai0.1%(512)
Laotian0%(301)
Pakistani0%(223)
Taiwanese0%(100)
Hmong0%(74)
+ 5 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.1%(1,150)
Chamorro0.1%(577)
Samoan0%(212)
Ancestry
German10.1%(83,950)
American8%(66,603)
English7.7%(64,484)
Irish7.1%(58,984)
Italian2.3%(19,386)
Scotch-Irish2.2%(18,091)
Subsaharan African2.2%(18,085)
Scottish1.8%(15,380)
French1.5%(12,861)
Polish1.4%(11,223)
Dutch0.6%(5,144)
British0.6%(4,903)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
West Indian0.6%(4,528)
Welsh0.4%(3,662)
Norwegian0.4%(3,230)
Swedish0.4%(3,182)
Russian0.3%(2,505)
French Canadian0.3%(2,124)
Swiss0.2%(1,961)
Jamaican0.2%(1,753)
Greek0.2%(1,682)
Hungarian0.2%(1,654)
Danish0.2%(1,652)
Ukrainian0.2%(1,403)
Czech0.2%(1,290)
Portuguese0.2%(1,227)
Canadian0.1%(1,209)
Austrian0.1%(1,201)
Lebanese0.1%(1,158)
Haitian0.1%(1,110)
Lithuanian0.1%(808)
Iraqi0.1%(683)
Nigerian0.1%(561)
Finnish0.1%(546)
Romanian0.1%(535)
Syrian0.1%(424)
Iranian0.1%(421)
Serbian0.1%(401)
Slovak0.1%(397)
Croatian0.1%(364)
Turkish0%(295)
Brazilian0%(279)
Belgian0%(277)
Arab0%(256)
Kenyan0.1%(253)
Ethiopian0%(250)
Armenian0%(234)
Slovene0%(199)
Latvian0%(193)
Moroccan0%(190)
Guyanese0%(159)
Egyptian0%(142)
Ghanaian0%(124)
Israeli0%(89)
Bulgarian0%(68)
Barbadian0%(51)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
33.4%
+6.6 ptssince 2000
from 26.7% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
90.3%
+8.0 ptssince 2000
from 82.2% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
13.1%
+3.9 ptssince 2000
from 9.2% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.6 min
+55%since 2000
from 15.9 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
79.6%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 79.4% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
5.5%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.7% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.6%
−3.5 ptssince 2011
from 9.1% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
64.2%
−2.9 ptssince 2011
from 67.1% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.5%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
39.2%
+3.1 ptssince 2009
from 36.1% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.5%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.4% in 2009
Female
51.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.6% in 2009
Foreign born
5.3%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 4.5% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
9.7%
−4.7 ptssince 2013
from 14.3% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
92.7%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
83.0%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married38.2%(127,384)
Married50.1%(167,059)
Widowed2.9%(9,814)
Divorced8.7%(28,966)
Women 15+
Never married33.9%(123,065)
Married45.7%(165,791)
Widowed8.4%(30,319)
Divorced12.1%(43,915)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
9.7%
−4.7 ptssince 2013
from 14.3% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
56.0%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
13.5%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
17.0%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
18.1%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
3.9%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
70.5%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
33.8%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)26.3%(16,333)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)30.1%(18,713)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era33.4%(20,752)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War5%(3,088)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II1.6%(987)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 62,185 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
In this metro

Largest cities

ColumbiaCENTRAL147,035Lexington25,729St. Andrews19,868West Columbia18,489Seven Oaks15,921Dentsville15,209Cayce13,680Oak Grove12,256Irmo12,204Red Bank11,314Forest Acres10,390Lugoff9,786Woodfield9,465Camden9,201White Knoll8,310Blythewood7,233Lake Murray of Richland7,023Batesburg-Leesville5,346Capitol View4,374East Camden4,194Winnsboro3,305Arthurtown3,272Saluda3,086Springdale2,877South Congaree2,424Pine Ridge2,346Hopkins1,985Chapin1,945St. Matthews1,827Elgin1,675

The 30 most populous of 50 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

6 component counties

Richland CountyCENTRAL434,956Lexington CountyCENTRAL317,588Kershaw County73,166Fairfield County20,340Saluda County19,680Calhoun County14,188
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Columbia

Lakeland
Pop 874,790
Baton Rouge
Pop 888,699
Bakersfield
Pop 927,068
Albuquerque
Pop 925,279
Places similar to Columbia
Head to head

Compare Columbia side by side

COLUMBIA VS
Lakeland
Income$65,978+16%
Home value$266,500+67%
Population874,790−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA VS
Baton Rouge
Income$70,666+25%
Home value$240,565+51%
Population888,699+1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA VS
Bakersfield
Income$70,210+24%
Home value$338,300+112%
Population927,068+5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
COLUMBIA VS
Albuquerque
Income$71,241+26%
Home value$288,193+81%
Population925,279+5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Columbia, SC?

Columbia, SC has about 829,470 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Columbia, SC?

The typical household in Columbia, SC earns about $56,750 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Columbia, SC expensive?

In Columbia, SC, the median home is worth about $159,545, and the typical rent is about $932 a month.

How educated are people in Columbia, SC?

About 33.4% of adults age 25 and over in Columbia, SC hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Columbia, SC?

About 14.9% of people in Columbia, SC live below the federal poverty line.

Has Columbia, SC grown since 1990?

Yes, Columbia, SC has grown since 1990. The population has added about 281,135 residents, a change of about 51 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →