Columbus, MS

Census Place

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2023 Population

23,616

1.17% 1-year decline

US Senator

Roger Wicker

Republican Party

US Senator

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

39.6

2.86% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

21.6%

8.37% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$40,588

4.19% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$121,200

0.748% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

9,167

0.306% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Columbus, MS had a population of 23.6k people with a median age of 39.6 and a median household income of $40,588. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Columbus, MS declined from 23,896 to 23,616, a −1.17% decrease and its median household income grew from $38,954 to $40,588, a 4.19% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Columbus, MS are Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (63.1%), White (Non-Hispanic) (31.6%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (1.42%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (1.29%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (1.22%).

None of the households in Columbus, MS 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.

98.9% of the residents in Columbus, MS are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Columbus, MS are Mississippi University for Women (928 degrees awarded in 2022).

In 2023, the median property value in Columbus, MS was $121,200, and the homeownership rate was 48.1%.

Most people in Columbus, MS drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Columbus, MS was 2 cars per household.

United States Mississippi Lowndes County, MS Columbus, MS Golden Triangle Region--Columbus, Starkville, & West Point Cities PUMA, MS

Population & Diversity

Columbus, MS is home to a population of 23.6k people, from which 98.9% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.98% of Columbus, MS residents were born outside of the country (467 people).

In 2023, there were 2 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (14.9k people) in Columbus, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 7.47k White (Non-Hispanic) and 335 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.9%

2023 Citizenship

98.9%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 98.9% of Columbus, MS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Columbus, MS was 98.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Columbus, MS

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
14.9k ± 661
White (Non-Hispanic)
7.47k ± 617
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
335 ± 198

2.15%

Hispanic Population

507 people

2.15% of the people in Columbus, MS are hispanic (507 people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Mississippi.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
16,383 ± 3,134 people
India
5,084 ± 1,749 people
Guatemala
3,926 ± 1,537 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Mississippi was Mexico, the natal country of 16,383 Mississippi residents, followed by India with 5,084 and Guatemala with 3,926.

Foreign-Born Population

1.98%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

467 people

2.26%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

540 people

As of 2023, 1.98% of Columbus, MS residents (467 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 Columbus, MS was 2.26%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
618 ± 252
Vietnam
266 ± 111
Gulf War (1990s)
167 ± 112

Columbus, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.32 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Columbus, MS employs 9.17k people. The largest industries in Columbus, MS are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,522 people), Retail Trade (1,463 people), and Manufacturing (1,194 people), and the highest paying industries are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($120,057), Utilities ($64,273), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($62,944).

Males in Mississippi have an average income that is 1.39 times higher than the average income of females, which is $46,477. The income inequality in Mississippi (measured using the Gini index) is 0.452, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

9.17k

2023 Value

± 871

0.306%

1 Year growth

± 13.2%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Columbus, MS grew at a rate of 0.306%, from 9.14k employees to 9.17k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbus, MS, are Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (969 people), Sales & Related Occupations (957 people), and Transportation Occupations (824 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Columbus, MS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Mississippi (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

9.17k

2023 Value

± 871

0.306%

1 Year growth

± 13.2%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Columbus, MS grew at a rate of 0.306%, from 9.14k employees to 9.17k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbus, MS, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,522 people), Retail Trade (1,463 people), and Manufacturing (1,194 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Columbus, MS, though some of these residents may live in Columbus, MS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$39,644

Median earning men ± $10,214

$34,703

Median earning women ± $5,637

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($68,650), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,588), and Manufacturing ($48,103).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($49,159), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($41,029), and Manufacturing ($40,467).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

1.38%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.17M people employed in Mississippi. This represents a 1.38% 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 12.5%.

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

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Mississippi went to Donald J. Trump with 60.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.439%).

Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith are the senators currently representing the state of Mississippi. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Mississippi is currently represented by 4 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, MS. Showing the available data for Mississippi.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (60.9%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.439%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Mississippi went to Donald J. Trump with 60.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.439%).

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

Senator Elections

US Senators from Mississippi

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

Roger Wicker

Senator from Mississippi

Assumed office on December 31, 2007
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Trent Lott.

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Senator from Mississippi

Assumed office on April 9, 2018
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Thad Cochran.

Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith are the senators currently representing Mississippi.

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

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Mississippi

Mississippi is currently represented by 4 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 Mississippi have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2022, universities in Columbus, MS awarded 928 degrees. The student population of Columbus, MS in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 518 male students and 1,821 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Columbus, MS are White (547 and 59.5%), followed by Black or African American (346 and 37.6%), American Indian or Alaska Native (11 and 1.2%), and Asian (10 and 1.09%).

The largest universities in Columbus, MS by number of degrees awarded are Mississippi University for Women (928 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Columbus, MS are Registered Nursing (414 and 44.6%), General Business Administration & Management (130 and 14%), and Speech-Language Pathology (53 and 5.71%).

The median tuition cost in Columbus, MS for a public four year colleges is $7,766 for in-state students and $7,766 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2022 in Columbus, MS, the percentage of applicants admitted was 99.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 28%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 2,339 (22.1% men and 77.9% 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 2,339 students enrolled in Columbus, MS, 22.1% men and 77.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,385 records, of which 74.9% were women and 25.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
111 degrees awarded
General Health & Physical Education
36 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
379 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Columbus, MS was General Business Administration & Management with 111 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Mississippi University for Women

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

928 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Mississippi University for Women with 928 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2022, 135 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Columbus, MS, which is 0.17 times less than the 793 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 547 degrees mean that there were 1.58 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 346 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

Public, 4-year or above ($7,766) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($100) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,600) 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 Mississippi.

Measure

In 2022, 1.04% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.852% 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 Mississippi.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (690k), Some college (543k), and Secondary Education (397k).

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, MS was $121,200 in 2023, which is 0.399 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $120,300 to $121,200, a 0.748% increase. The homeownership rate in Columbus, MS is 48.1%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Columbus, MS have an average commute time of 17.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Columbus, MS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Columbus, MS is $40,588. In 2023, the place with the highest median household income in Columbus, MS was Census Tract 4.03 with a value of $62,978, followed by Census Tract 10 and Census Tract 5, with respective values of $56,903 and $46,667.

Housing

Property

$121,200

Median Property Value 2023

±$10,687

$4,793

Median Property Taxes

±$547

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, MS the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

48.1%

Homeownership

2023

67.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 48.1% of the housing units in Columbus, MS were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 46.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Columbus, MS 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)

Census Tract 4.03
Census Tract 10
Census Tract 5

In 2023, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Columbus, MS was Census Tract 4.03 with a value of $62,978, followed by Census Tract 10 and Census Tract 5, with respective values of $56,903 and $46,667.

The following map shows all of the places in Columbus, MS 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.

$40,588

Median Household Income

± $6,596

9.98k

Number of Households

± 879

In 2023, the median household income of the 9.98k households in Columbus, MS grew to $40,588 from the previous year's value of $38,954.

The following chart displays the households in Columbus, MS 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Columbus, MS is from Mississippi.

0.452

2022 Wage GINI in Mississippi

0.45

2021 Wage GINI in Mississippi

In 2022, the income inequality in Mississippi was 0.452 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.553% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Mississippi was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Mississippi in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (87.7%)
Worked At Home (5.28%)
Carpooled (4.92%)

In 2023, 87.7% of workers in Columbus, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (5.28%) and those who carpooled to work (4.92%).

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

17.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbus, MS have a shorter commute time (17.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.88% of the workforce in Columbus, MS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

21.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbus, MS (4.81k out of 22.3k 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 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Columbus, MS 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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

N/A
N/A
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N/A

In N/A, N/A had the highest N/A in the nation, at N/A. N/A has the second highest (N/A), followed by N/A (N/A).

The following map shows the N/A by state over multiple years.

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Health

87.3% of the population of Columbus, MS has health coverage, with 38% on employee plans, 21.8% on Medicaid, 12.8% on Medicare, 13.2% on non-group plans, and 1.5% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lowndes County, MS see 2243 patients per year on average, which represents a 3.36% increase from the previous year (2170 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1710 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 390 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Lowndes County, MS.

2,243 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lowndes County, MS

Primary care physicians in Lowndes County, MS see an average of 2,243 patients per year. This represents a 3.36% increase from the previous year (2,170 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.6% under 18 years, 25.7% between 18 and 34 years, 33.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 43.7% were men and 56.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

12.7%

Uninsured

38%

Employer Coverage

21.8%

Medicaid

12.8%

Medicare

13.2%

Non-Group

1.5%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Columbus, MS declined by 7.54% from 13.7% to 12.7%.

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

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