Columbus, GA

Census Place

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2024 Population
203,711
US Senator
Jon Ossoff
Democratic Party
US Senator
Raphael Warnock
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
35.4
0.855% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
19%
1.08% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$58,073
2.56% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$193,900
6.36% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
83,959
0.527% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Columbus, GA 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.

97.8% of the residents in Columbus, GA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Columbus, GA are Columbus State University (1,669 degrees awarded in 2023), Columbus Technical College (1,668 degrees), and Miller-Motte College-Columbus (93 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Columbus, GA was $193,900, and the homeownership rate was 50.8%.

Most people in Columbus, GA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Columbus, GA was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: River Walk, Columbus, GA
Photo by Visit Columbus GA
United StatesGeorgiaMuscogee County, GAColumbus, GA-ALLee (East) & Russell Counties--Phenix City & Smiths Station Cities PUMA, ALRiver Valley Regional Commission (Outside Muscogee & Chattahoochee Counties) PUMA, GARiver Valley Regional Commission (West Central)--Muscogee & Chattahoochee Counties PUMA, GA

Population & Diversity

Columbus, GA is home to a population of 204k people, from which 97.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 5.09% of Columbus, GA residents were born outside of the country (10.4k people).

In 2024, there were 1.26 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (94k people) in Columbus, GA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 74.8k White (Non-Hispanic) and 8.63k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.8%
2024 Citizenship
97.7%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.8% of Columbus, GA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Columbus, GA was 97.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Columbus, GA
  1. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    94k ± 990
  2. White (Non-Hispanic)
    74.8k ± 694
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    8.63k ± 993
8.52%
Hispanic Population
17.4k people

In 2024, there were 1.26 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (94k people) in Columbus, GA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 74.8k White (Non-Hispanic) and 8.63k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

8.52% of the people in Columbus, GA are hispanic (17.4k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Columbus, GA as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Georgia.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    229,616 ± 11,639 people
  2. India
    106,959 ± 7,990 people
  3. Jamaica
    51,506 ± 5,559 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Georgia was Mexico, the natal country of 229,616 Georgia residents, followed by India with 106,959 and Jamaica with 51,506.

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Foreign-Born Population

5.09%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
10.4k people
5.28%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
10.8k people

As of 2024, 5.09% of Columbus, GA residents (10.4k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Columbus, GA was 5.28%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    8,356 ± 897
  2. Vietnam
    4,058 ± 513
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    4,014 ± 510

Columbus, GA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.06 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Columbus, GA.

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Economy

The economy of Columbus, GA employs 84k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Columbus, GA were Health Care & Social Assistance (12,814 people), Retail Trade (8,462 people), and Finance & Insurance (8,125 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($71,681), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($60,316), and Wholesale Trade ($52,283).

Employment

Occupations

84k
2024 Value
± 2,935
0.527%
1 Year growth
± 4.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbus, GA grew at a rate of 0.527%, from 83.5k employees to 84k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbus, GA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (12,028 people), Sales & Related Occupations (8,150 people), and Management Occupations (7,096 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Columbus, GA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Georgia (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

84k
2024 Value
± 2,935
0.527%
1 Year growth
± 4.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbus, GA grew at a rate of 0.527%, from 83.5k employees to 84k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbus, GA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (12,814 people), Retail Trade (8,462 people), and Finance & Insurance (8,125 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Columbus, GA, though some of these residents may live in Columbus, GA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$45,527
Median earning men ± $2,235
$35,130
Median earning women ± $1,458

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($91,969), Wholesale Trade ($59,397), and Information ($56,159).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($44,766), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($41,032), and Information ($39,625).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Georgia.
Y-Axis
2.94%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.87M people employed in Georgia. This represents a 2.94% 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 11.9%.

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

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Georgia went to Donald J. Trump with 50.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.5%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.394%).

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are the senators currently representing the state of Georgia. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Georgia is currently represented by 14 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Columbus, GA. Showing the available data for Georgia.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (50.7%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (48.5%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Chase Oliver (0.394%)
    Libertarian Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Georgia went to Donald J. Trump with 50.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.5%), followed by Chase Oliver (0.394%).

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

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Georgia

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Georgia.
Jon Ossoff
Senator from Georgia2
Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Inauguration delayed as incumbent senator David Perdue's term expired on January 3, 2021, two days prior to the runoff election.
Raphael Warnock
Senator from Georgia3
Assumed office on January 20, 2021
Elected to the seat to succeed Kelly Loeffler, who had been appointed to the seat following the resignation of Johnny Isakson.

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are the senators currently representing Georgia.

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 Georgia over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Columbus, GA awarded 3,508 degrees. The student population of Columbus, GA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 4,099 male students and 7,058 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Columbus, GA are White (1,450 and 42%), Black or African American (1,419 and 41.1%), Hispanic or Latino (296 and 8.58%), and Two or More Races (115 and 3.33%).

The largest universities in Columbus, GA by number of degrees awarded are Columbus State University (1,669 and 47.6%), Columbus Technical College (1,668 and 47.5%), and Miller-Motte College-Columbus (93 and 2.65%).

The most popular majors in Columbus, GA are Other Mechanic & Repair Technologies (248 and 7.07%), Criminal Justice - Safety Studies (215 and 6.13%), and General Health Services (204 and 5.82%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $4,371 for in-state students and $15,424 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Columbus, GA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 99.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 30.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 11,157 (36.7% men and 63.3% 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.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 11,157 students enrolled in Columbus, GA, 36.7% men and 63.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Black or African American with 4,736 records, of which 70.3% were women and 29.7% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Health Services
    138 degrees awarded
  2. Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities
    65 degrees awarded
  3. Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant
    57 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Columbus, GA was General Health Services with 138 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Columbus, GA according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Columbus State University
    1,669 degrees awarded
  2. Columbus Technical College
    1,668 degrees awarded
  3. Miller-Motte College-Columbus
    93 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Columbus State University with 1,669 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 1,206 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Columbus, GA, which is 0.524 times less than the 2,302 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 1,450 degrees mean that there were 1.02 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 1,419 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($4,371) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,380) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,465) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Columbus, GA was $193,900 in 2024, which is 0.583 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $182,300 to $193,900, a 6.36% increase. The homeownership rate in Columbus, GA is 50.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Columbus, GA have an average commute time of 20.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Columbus, GA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$193,900
Median Property Value 2024
±$5,785
$41,390
Median Property Taxes
±$1,713

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

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

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Rent vs Own

50.8%
Homeownership
2024
66.3%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 50.8% of the housing units in Columbus, GA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 50.2%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$58,073
Median Household Income
± $1,832
81.4k
Number of Households
± 2,619

In 2024, the median household income of the 81.4k households in Columbus, GA grew to $58,073 from the previous year's value of $56,622.

The following chart displays the households in Columbus, GA 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Columbus, GA is from Georgia.
0.471
2023 Wage GINI in Georgia
0.474
2022 Wage GINI in Georgia

In 2023, the income inequality in Georgia was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.558% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Georgia was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Georgia in comparison to the national average.

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

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (73.1%)
  2. Worked At Home (12.1%)
  3. Carpooled (10%)

In 2024, 73.1% of workers in Columbus, GA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.1%) and those who carpooled to work (10%).

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.

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Commute Time

20.9 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbus, GA have a shorter commute time (20.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.56% of the workforce in Columbus, GA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

19% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbus, GA (37.7k out of 198k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Columbus, GA is Black, followed by White and Two Or More.

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.

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Health

88.9% of the population of Columbus, GA has health coverage, with 34.6% on employee plans, 19.1% on Medicaid, 8.47% on Medicare, 19.5% on non-group plans, and 7.18% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Georgia see 1,517 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,517 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1856 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 525 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.3% were men and 53.7% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.5% under 18 years, 21.3% between 18 and 34 years, 36.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.3% were men and 53.7% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

11.1%
Uninsured
34.6%
Employer Coverage
19.1%
Medicaid
8.47%
Medicare
19.5%
Non-Group
7.18%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Columbus, GA declined by 1.52% from 11.3% to 11.1%.

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

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