With 45,357 people, Columbus is a metro area. Few US metro areas rank higher on income. 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $205,319. Getting to work takes 16 minutes on average. Density works out to 42 people per square mile.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $74,127, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 37.2
US median: 38.9
Less educated
21% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 50%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Columbus
What changed most since 1990
Hispanic share1.4% → 29.4%(+28.0 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
White share97.8% → 66.1%(−31.7 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Adults with a bachelor's degree11.8% → 21.1%(+9.3 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Among the 12 metro and micro areas based in Nebraska
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)25.6%(452)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)30.8%(544)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era38.1%(672)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War9.6%(170)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.3%(5)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 1,766 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
Over time
Columbus, decade by decade
Columbus population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
38,959
$60,455
$113,612
11.8%
5.4
2000
42,103
$70,113
$136,743
15.8%
28.2
2010
42,752
$70,751
$147,478
17.4%
44.3
2020
44,878
$74,756
$174,286
21.4%
57.5
2024
45,357
$74,127
$205,319
21.1%
56.4
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
