Columbus, NE

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population

44,899

31.2% 1-year growth

US Senator

Deb Fischer

Republican Party

US Senator

Pete Ricketts

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

37.5

2.09% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

8.72%

6.25% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$75,501

7.95% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$194,600

0.613% 1-year decline

2023 Employed Population

23,330

31% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Columbus, NE had a population of 44.9k people with a median age of 37.5 and a median household income of $75,501. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Columbus, NE grew from 34,219 to 44,899, a 31.2% increase and its median household income grew from $69,943 to $75,501, a 7.95% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Columbus, NE are White (Non-Hispanic) (67.6%), Two+ (Hispanic) (13.4%), Other (Hispanic) (8.25%), White (Hispanic) (5.52%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (1.89%).

None of the households in Columbus, NE 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.

89.7% of the residents in Columbus, NE are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Columbus, NE was $194,600, and the homeownership rate was 73.3%.

Most people in Columbus, NE drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 15.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Columbus, NE was 2 cars per household.

Columbus, NE borders Grand Island, NE and Norfolk, NE.

United States Nebraska

Population & Diversity

Columbus, NE is home to a population of 44.9k people, from which 89.7% are citizens. As of 2023, 15.9% of Columbus, NE residents were born outside of the country (7.16k people).

In 2023, there were 5.04 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (30.3k people) in Columbus, NE than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.02k Two+ (Hispanic) and 3.7k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.7%

2023 Citizenship

93.2%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 89.7% of Columbus, NE residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Columbus, NE was 93.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Columbus, NE

White (Non-Hispanic)
30.3k ± 87
Two+ (Hispanic)
6.02k ± 1.22k
Other (Hispanic)
3.7k ± 918

28.1%

Hispanic Population

12.6k people

28.1% of the people in Columbus, NE are hispanic (12.6k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Columbus, NE 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 Nebraska.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
46,527 ± 5,232 people
Guatemala
10,472 ± 2,506 people
India
6,505 ± 1,977 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Nebraska was Mexico, the natal country of 46,527 Nebraska residents, followed by Guatemala with 10,472 and India with 6,505.

Foreign-Born Population

15.9%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

7.16k people

11.2%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

3.84k people

As of 2023, 15.9% of Columbus, NE residents (7.16k people) were born outside of the United States, which is higher than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Columbus, NE was 11.2%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
754 ± 147
Gulf War (2001-)
457 ± 267
Korea
175 ± 80

Columbus, NE has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.65 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Columbus, NE employs 23.3k people. The largest industries in Columbus, NE are Manufacturing (7,157 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,264 people), and Retail Trade (2,252 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($92,188), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($83,295), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($80,345).

Males in Nebraska have an average income that is 1.31 times higher than the average income of females, which is $55,834. The income inequality in Nebraska (measured using the Gini index) is 0.444, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

23.3k

2023 Value

± 1,103

31%

1 Year growth

± 5.27%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Columbus, NE grew at a rate of 31%, from 17.8k employees to 23.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbus, NE, are Production Occupations (4,323 people), Management Occupations (2,509 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,799 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Columbus, NE.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Nebraska (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

23.3k

2023 Value

± 1,103

31%

1 Year growth

± 5.27%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Columbus, NE grew at a rate of 31%, from 17.8k employees to 23.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbus, NE, are Manufacturing (7,157 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,264 people), and Retail Trade (2,252 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Columbus, NE, though some of these residents may live in Columbus, NE and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,358

Median earning men ± $2,275

$38,341

Median earning women ± $1,723

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($107,614), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($69,189), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($66,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($53,846), Information ($53,088), and Public Administration ($47,500).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

2.25%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.03M people employed in Nebraska. This represents a 2.25% 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 8.87%.

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

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

93
Construction
86
Other Services (except Public Administration)
73
Transportation and Warehousing

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

$463k
Manufacturing
$116k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$79.7k
Retail Trade

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

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Nebraska went to Donald J. Trump with 59.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.9%), followed by Other (0.849%).

Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts are the senators currently representing the state of Nebraska. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Nebraska is currently represented by 3 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Columbus, NE. Showing the available data for Nebraska.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (59.3%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38.9%)
Democratic Party
Other (0.849%)
Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Nebraska went to Donald J. Trump with 59.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.9%), followed by Other (0.849%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Nebraska for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Nebraska

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

Deb Fischer

Senator from Nebraska

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Pete Ricketts

Senator from Nebraska

Assumed office on January 12, 2023
Appointed to the seat on January 12, 2023 following the resignation of Ben Sasse.

Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts are the senators currently representing Nebraska.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Nebraska over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Nebraska

Nebraska is currently represented by 3 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Nebraska have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 1.09% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.952% 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 Nebraska.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (381k), Some college (364k), and Bachelors Degree (309k).

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 Columbus, NE was $194,600 in 2023, which is 0.641 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $195,800 to $194,600, a 0.613% decrease. The homeownership rate in Columbus, NE is 73.3%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Columbus, NE have an average commute time of 15.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Columbus, NE is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Columbus, NE is $75,501. In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income in Columbus, NE was Sarpy County, NE with a value of $101,402, followed by Washington County, NE and Saunders County, NE, with respective values of $90,188 and $89,395.

Housing

Property

$194,600

Median Property Value 2023

±$7,565

$12,482

Median Property Taxes

±$778

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 Columbus, NE the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

73.3%

Homeownership

2023

63.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 73.3% of the housing units in Columbus, NE were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 74.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Columbus, NE 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 Columbus, NE was Sarpy County, NE with a value of $101,402, followed by Washington County, NE and Saunders County, NE, with respective values of $90,188 and $89,395.

The following map shows all of the counties in Columbus, NE 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.

$75,501

Median Household Income

± $3,364

17k

Number of Households

± 922

In 2023, the median household income of the 17k households in Columbus, NE grew to $75,501 from the previous year's value of $69,943.

The following chart displays the households in Columbus, NE 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 Columbus, NE is from Nebraska.

0.444

2022 Wage GINI in Nebraska

0.444

2021 Wage GINI in Nebraska

In 2022, the income inequality in Nebraska was 0.444 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0995% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Nebraska was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Nebraska in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (81.1%)
Carpooled (9.3%)
Worked At Home (4.42%)

In 2023, 81.1% of workers in Columbus, NE drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.3%) and those who worked at home (4.42%).

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

15.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbus, NE have a shorter commute time (15.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 0.963% of the workforce in Columbus, NE have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.72% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbus, NE (3.86k out of 44.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 35 - 44, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Columbus, NE is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

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

92.1% of the population of Columbus, NE has health coverage, with 54.5% on employee plans, 11.7% on Medicaid, 12.1% on Medicare, 13.1% on non-group plans, and 0.682% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Nebraska see 1302 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.535% decrease from the previous year (1309 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1243 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 329 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

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

1,302 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Nebraska

Primary care physicians in Nebraska see an average of 1,302 patients per year. This represents a 0.535% decrease from the previous year (1,309 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 29.3% under 18 years, 17.8% between 18 and 34 years, 36.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51% were men and 49% were women.

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

Uninsured People

7.93%

Uninsured

54.5%

Employer Coverage

11.7%

Medicaid

12.1%

Medicare

13.1%

Non-Group

0.682%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Columbus, NE declined by 13% from 9.12% to 7.93%.

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

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