Columbia, SC

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population

839,868

0.956% 1-year growth

US Senator

Lindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

Tim Scott

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

37.5

0.806% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

14.7%

0.821% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$66,146

4.21% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$213,400

10.8% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

397,263

1.05% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Columbia, SC had a population of 840k people with a median age of 37.5 and a median household income of $66,146. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Columbia, SC grew from 831,913 to 839,868, a 0.956% increase and its median household income grew from $63,471 to $66,146, a 4.21% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Columbia, SC are White (Non-Hispanic) (53.8%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (33%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.4%), Two+ (Hispanic) (2.49%), and Other (Hispanic) (2.26%).

None of the households in Columbia, SC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.9% of the residents in Columbia, SC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Columbia, SC are University of South Carolina-Columbia (10,045 degrees awarded in 2022), Midlands Technical College (1,543 degrees), and Columbia International University (680 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Columbia, SC was $213,400, and the homeownership rate was 69.2%.

Most people in Columbia, SC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Columbia, SC was 2 cars per household.

Columbia, SC borders Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, Florence, SC, Greenwood, SC, Newberry, SC, Orangeburg, SC, Spartanburg, SC, and Sumter, SC.

About the photo: State Capitol Grounds, Columbia, SC

Photo by Ron Cogswell

United States South Carolina

Population & Diversity

Columbia, SC is home to a population of 840k people, from which 96.9% are citizens. As of 2023, 5.54% of Columbia, SC residents were born outside of the country (46.5k people).

In 2023, there were 1.63 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (452k people) in Columbia, SC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 278k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 28.5k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.9%

2023 Citizenship

97.2%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 96.9% of Columbia, SC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Columbia, SC was 97.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Columbia, SC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Columbia, SC

White (Non-Hispanic)
452k ± 843
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
278k ± 1.9k
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
28.5k ± 1.91k

6.8%

Hispanic Population

57.1k people

6.8% of the people in Columbia, SC are hispanic (57.1k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Columbia, SC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for South Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
58,419 ± 5,900 people
India
18,341 ± 3,319 people
Honduras
13,844 ± 2,885 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 58,419 South Carolina residents, followed by India with 18,341 and Honduras with 13,844.

Foreign-Born Population

5.54%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

46.5k people

5.24%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

43.6k people

As of 2023, 5.54% of Columbia, SC residents (46.5k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Columbia, SC was 5.24%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Columbia, SC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
19,124 ± 1,458
Vietnam
15,383 ± 940
Gulf War (1990s)
11,538 ± 1,048

Columbia, SC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.24 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Columbia, SC employs 397k people. The largest industries in Columbia, SC are Health Care & Social Assistance (53,011 people), Retail Trade (42,619 people), and Educational Services (42,086 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($79,752), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($65,455), and Finance & Insurance ($59,722).

Males in South Carolina have an average income that is 1.37 times higher than the average income of females, which is $52,636. The income inequality in South Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is 0.464, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

397k

2023 Value

± 5,582

1.05%

1 Year growth

± 1.95%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Columbia, SC grew at a rate of 1.05%, from 393k employees to 397k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbia, SC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (47,441 people), Management Occupations (43,687 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (38,784 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Columbia, SC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

397k

2023 Value

± 5,582

1.05%

1 Year growth

± 1.95%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Columbia, SC grew at a rate of 1.05%, from 393k employees to 397k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbia, SC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (53,011 people), Retail Trade (42,619 people), and Educational Services (42,086 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Columbia, SC, though some of these residents may live in Columbia, SC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,259

Median earning men ± $868

$38,173

Median earning women ± $714

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($71,131), Information ($62,860), and Public Administration ($59,583).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($52,762), Public Administration ($50,840), and Wholesale Trade ($44,937).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

Y-Axis

2.54%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.26M people employed in South Carolina. This represents a 2.54% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in South Carolina.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

1,398
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
1,268
Other Services (except Public Administration)
1,169
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$2.96M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$1.96M
Manufacturing
$1.4M
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2022, universities in Columbia, SC awarded 14,110 degrees. The student population of Columbia, SC in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 21,267 male students and 31,900 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Columbia, SC are White (9,000 and 66.8%), followed by Black or African American (2,554 and 19%), Hispanic or Latino (656 and 4.87%), and Asian (472 and 3.5%).

The largest universities in Columbia, SC by number of degrees awarded are University of South Carolina-Columbia (10,045 and 71.2%), Midlands Technical College (1,543 and 10.9%), and Columbia International University (680 and 4.82%).

The most popular majors in Columbia, SC are General Business Administration & Management (612 and 4.34%), General Finance (611 and 4.33%), and Liberal Arts & Sciences (509 and 3.61%).

The median tuition costs in Columbia, SC are $16,632 for private four year colleges, and $12,288 and $33,528 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2022 in Columbia, SC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 64.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 21.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 53,167 (40% men and 60% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2022 there were 53,167 students enrolled in Columbia, SC, 40% men and 60% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 30,905 records, of which 59% were women and 41% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Finance
611 degrees awarded
General Public Health
473 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
416 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Columbia, SC was General Finance with 611 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Columbia, SC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of South Carolina-Columbia
10,045 degrees awarded
Midlands Technical College
1,543 degrees awarded
Columbia International University
680 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of South Carolina-Columbia with 10,045 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 5,523 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Columbia, SC, which is 0.643 times less than the 8,587 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 9,000 degrees mean that there were 3.52 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 2,554 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private for-profit, 2-year ($18,049) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,260) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($1,660) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

Measure

In 2022, 0.83% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.688% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (1.18M), Some college (892k), and Bachelors Degree (705k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Columbia, SC was $213,400 in 2023, which is 0.703 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $192,600 to $213,400, a 10.8% increase. The homeownership rate in Columbia, SC is 69.2%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Columbia, SC have an average commute time of 25.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Columbia, SC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Columbia, SC is $66,146. In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income in Columbia, SC was Beaufort County, SC with a value of $84,819, followed by Charleston County, SC and York County, SC, with respective values of $84,320 and $83,060.

Housing

Property

$213,400

Median Property Value 2023

±$2,579

$231,413

Median Property Taxes

±$3,776

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Columbia, SC the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Columbia, SC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

69.2%

Homeownership

2023

68%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 69.2% of the housing units in Columbia, SC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Columbia, SC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Columbia, SC was Beaufort County, SC with a value of $84,819, followed by Charleston County, SC and York County, SC, with respective values of $84,320 and $83,060.

The following map shows all of the counties in Columbia, SC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$66,146

Median Household Income

± $1,090

334k

Number of Households

± 5,104

In 2023, the median household income of the 334k households in Columbia, SC grew to $66,146 from the previous year's value of $63,471.

The following chart displays the households in Columbia, SC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Columbia, SC is from South Carolina.

0.464

2022 Wage GINI in South Carolina

0.463

2021 Wage GINI in South Carolina

In 2022, the income inequality in South Carolina was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.334% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for South Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in South Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (76.2%)
Worked At Home (9.88%)
Carpooled (8.11%)

In 2023, 76.2% of workers in Columbia, SC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.88%) and those who carpooled to work (8.11%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

25.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbia, SC have a shorter commute time (25.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.33% of the workforce in Columbia, SC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Columbia, SC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Columbia, SC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Columbia, SC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbia, SC (119k out of 808k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Columbia, SC is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

91% of the population of Columbia, SC has health coverage, with 45% on employee plans, 15.5% on Medicaid, 10.7% on Medicare, 16.3% on non-group plans, and 3.48% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in South Carolina see 1481 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.269% decrease from the previous year (1485 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1696 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 488 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Carolina.

1,481 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in South Carolina

Primary care physicians in South Carolina see an average of 1,481 patients per year. This represents a 0.269% decrease from the previous year (1,485 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in South Carolina in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.5% under 18 years, 21.9% between 18 and 34 years, 37.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.4% were men and 52.6% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

Uninsured

45%

Employer Coverage

15.5%

Medicaid

10.7%

Medicare

16.3%

Non-Group

3.48%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Columbia, SC declined by 2.1% from 9.19% to 9%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Columbia, SC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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