Latest Census city estimates released May 14, 2026 · Population as of July 1, 2025 · Next city estimates scheduled for May 2027. Release schedule
Columbia, South Carolina population is 147,035 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #193 nationally and #2 in South Carolina. Cost of living runs 6.3% below the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); the four-person spending scenario corresponds to modeled gross income of $105,580/yr (TY2026 tax assumptions; partial scenario excluding unverified local income tax). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
147,035 people live in Columbia as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #193 largest U.S. city.
How big is Columbia?
Columbia covers 139.4 square miles of land and 3.0 square miles of water. Its population density is about 1,055 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 7.5% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 136,725 → 2025: 147,035 (+7.5%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
136,725
April 1, 2020
2020
135,860
July 1, 2020
2021
136,059
July 1, 2021
2022
139,381
July 1, 2022
2023
141,370
July 1, 2023
2024
144,133
July 1, 2024
2025
147,035
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 0.7% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Columbia is the #193 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #2 in South Carolina.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
136,725
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+10,310
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+7.5%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+2,902
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+2.0%
within V2025 only
Density
1,055
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
139.4
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#193
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#2
of 271 in South Carolina
What is the median household income in Columbia?
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: household income $80,734 ± $166; per-capita income $44,673 ± $122. Margins are at 90% confidence. Comparison badges describe point estimates; they are not significance tests.
Median household income is 31% below the U.S. median ($55,529 vs $80,734); 24.0% live in poverty, 11.5 points above the 12.5% U.S. estimate.
Median household income$55,529
US
Columbia: $55,529 — 31% below the US median of $80,734.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data; censored rows retained in the distribution
Columbia
$55,529
United States
$80,734
Income and poverty estimates for Columbia from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
$55,529-31.2% vs US
±$1,827
Per capita income
$39,058-12.6% vs US
±$1,795
Population in poverty
24.0% ± 2.1 percentage points
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 21% below the U.S. median ($264,300 vs $332,700); median rent is 15% below ($1,204 vs $1,413); the ratio of median home value to median household income is 4.8× versus 4.1× nationally; this compares two distributions and does not measure an individual household's housing burden.
Median home value$264,300
US
Columbia: $264,300 — 21% below the US median of $332,700.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data; censored rows retained in the distribution
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,276/mo
US
Columbia: $1,276/mo — 18% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: home value $332,700 ± $236; gross rent $1,413 ± $2. Comparison badges describe estimates and do not establish statistical significance.
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2025 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Columbia. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.9%
Columbia (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
71,076
2025 annual avg
Worked from home
11.6% ± 1.3 percentage points-23.1% vs US
share of workers 16+ working from home · U.S. share: 15.1% · ACS
County context — Columbia spans 3 counties; all are listed (no weighted average):
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Richland County
15.8%
$66,644
4.6%
Lexington County
11.3%
$78,712
3.8%
Kershaw County
12.2%
$73,494
4.4%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Columbia's linked 3 counties in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2025 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
47,196
$1,224 / wk
#2
Retail trade (44-45)
39,505
$753 / wk
#3
Accommodation and food services (72)
34,490
$442 / wk
#4
Manufacturing (31-33)
24,966
$1,529 / wk
#5
Administrative and waste services (56)
24,091
$852 / wk
What workers earn in the Columbia, SC metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Fast Food and Counter Workers is the largest tracked occupation in the Columbia, SC metro (11,640 jobs, median $27,170/yr).
▸Show all 14 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Fast Food and Counter Workers
11,640
$27,170
$13.06
Customer Service Representatives
10,430
$37,430
$18.00
Stockers and Order Fillers
9,470
$37,180
$17.88
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
9,410
$37,530
$18.04
Cashiers
8,700
$27,830
$13.38
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
7,740
$30,210
$14.53
Office Clerks, General
7,260
$38,320
$18.42
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
6,610
$45,620
$21.93
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
10,860
$29,540
$14.20
Registered Nurses · benchmark
9,400
$81,920
$39.39
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
5,630
$51,280
$24.65
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
4,890
$103,950
$49.98
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 6.3% below the U.S. average (RPP 93.7); rents run 20.5% below (RPP 79.5) — the metro's housing affordability is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 93.7
US
Columbia's cost of living runs 6.3% below the U.S. average (RPP 93.7 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 93.7
−6.3% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Columbia, SC metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,276/mo
FY2026 · Columbia, SC HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
6.00%
3 brackets · TY2026
Four-person monthly spending scenario
$8,798/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
One-person monthly spending scenario
$3,265/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
Local income tax
—
Unverified and excluded from the spending scenario; not a verified zero
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
5.8% ± 0.7 percentage points foreign-born (U.S. share 14.1%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (4.1% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Columbia's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
Public school districts serving Columbia, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts, and one district often serves multiple cities. Sorted primary district first. See methodology §12 for the consolidated-city fallback and Milford CT special case.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Columbia?
Hottest month: July (92°F avg high). Coldest: January (35°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 46.0 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Columbia from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk spans 66.7–93.1/100 across 3 counties; most-cited top hazard is Ice Storm (in 1 of 3).
Natural-hazard exposure for Columbia from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
Columbia spans 3 counties. We list each separately because hurricane, flood, and fire risk varies meaningfully across county lines — manufacturing a single “city-level” risk score would hide that signal.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Richland County
93.1
Relatively Moderate
Ice Storm 98.4 Very High · Lightning 96.3 Relatively High · Strong Wind 95.1 Relatively High
Lexington County
90.9
Relatively Moderate
Tornado 97.6 Relatively High · Ice Storm 96.7 Very High · Strong Wind 93.3 Relatively High
Kershaw County
66.7
Relatively Low
Strong Wind 86.4 Relatively High · Hurricane 86.1 Relatively Moderate · Ice Storm 83.0 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Columbia?
10 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 57% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Columbia from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of December 31, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
10 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
9
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
57.0%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
57.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
68,229
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of December 31, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Columbia?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 1,113 violent and 4,673 property offenses in the Columbia jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 769.9 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Columbia — an FBI jurisdiction population of 144,559, versus the Census place population of 147,035. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
1,113
769.9
359.1
Property crime
4,673
3,232.6
1,760.1
▸Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
14
Rape
89
Robbery
157
Aggravated assault
853
Burglary
718
Larceny-theft
3,407
Motor vehicle theft
548
Arson (12-month reporters only)
28
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
598.8
2,855.5
137,768
2023
756.9
3,466.5
141,497
2024
769.9
3,232.6
144,559
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Columbia · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Columbia sits at state rank #2 among 271 cities in South Carolina. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Rockford, IL · #192 · 147,384 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Visalia, CA · #194 · 146,541 residents.
Quick travel facts for Columbia
Quick travel facts.
Elevation
324 ft · at city centroid, from USGS 3D Elevation Program
Nearest scheduled-service airport
Columbia Metropolitan Airport(CAE) · 14 mi 23 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Apr, Oct, Nov · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS 3DEP · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (OurAirports type=large/medium and scheduled_service=yes; not an FAA service classification) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Columbia.
How many people live in Columbia, SC?
Columbia has 147,035 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #193 largest city in the United States and #2 in South Carolina. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Columbia growing or shrinking?
Columbia has grown 7.5% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 10,310 residents, including a 2.0% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Columbia's population in the 2020 census?
Columbia spans Richland County, Lexington County, Kershaw County in South Carolina.
How big is Columbia?
Columbia covers 139.4 square miles of land, with a population density of about 1,055 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Columbia?
$55,529, about 31% below the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID4516000
Last build2026-09-30
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Columbia is 4516000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
