Columbia, SC

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population

839,868

0.956% 1-year growth

US Senator

N/ALindsey Graham

Republican Party

US Senator

N/ATim 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 Employed Population

397,263

1.05% 1-year growth

About

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 N/A are University of South Carolina-Columbia (10,467 degrees awarded in 2023), Midlands Technical College (1,647 degrees), and Columbia International University (649 degrees).

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

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 Columbia, SC.

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 Columbia, SC was Mexico, the natal country of 58,419 Columbia, SC 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

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 N/A, which is N/A than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

397k

2023 Value

± 5,582

1.05%

1 Year growth

± 1.95%

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%

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.

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.

Y-Axis

N/A%

Year-over-year N/A

Employment change between N/A N/A and N/A N/A

As of N/A N/A, there are N/A people employed in N/A. This represents a N/A% N/A in employment when compared to N/A N/A.

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

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in N/A.

Establishments by Size

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.

Education

Most students graduating from Universities in Columbia, SC are White (9,360 and 66.2%), followed by Black or African American (2,622 and 18.5%), Hispanic or Latino (742 and 5.25%), and Asian (543 and 3.84%).

The largest universities in Columbia, SC by number of degrees awarded are University of South Carolina-Columbia (10,467 and NaNN%), Midlands Technical College (1,647 and NaNN%), and Columbia International University (649 and NaNN%).

The most popular majors in N/A are Liberal Arts & Sciences (643 and NaNN%), General Business Administration & Management (625 and NaNN%), and General Finance (603 and NaNN%).

The median tuition costs in N/A are $15,690 for private four year colleges, and $12,288 and $34,543 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Columbia, SC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 62%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 21.7%. The number of students enrolled in N/A was N/A (N/A% men and N/A% 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.

Completions

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of South Carolina-Columbia
10,467 degrees awarded
Midlands Technical College
1,647 degrees awarded
Columbia International University
649 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of South Carolina-Columbia with 10,467 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 5,666 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Columbia, SC, which is 0.616 times less than the 9,194 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 9,360 degrees mean that there were 3.57 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 2,622 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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In N/A, N/A% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while N/A% 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.

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in false were N/A.

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

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.

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

N/A

Number of Households

± 0

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 Columbia, SC.

N/A Wage GINI in N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Columbia, SC 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

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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