Columbia, KY

Census Place

2024 Population

4,808

US Senator

Mitch McConnell

Republican Party

US Senator

Rand Paul

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

28.2

1.08% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

18.3%

18.5% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$47,299

4.6% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$143,600

16.3% 1-year growth

Population & Diversity

Columbia, KY is home to a population of 4.81k people, from which 93% are citizens.

As of 2024, 9.38% of Columbia, KY residents were born outside of the country (451 people).

In 2024, there were 15.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.01k people) in Columbia, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 263 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 184 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93%

2024 Citizenship

92.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93% of Columbia, KY residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Columbia, KY was 92.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Columbia, KY

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.01k ± 240
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
263 ± 200
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
184 ± 82

8.17%

Hispanic Population

393 people

8.17% of the people in Columbia, KY are hispanic (393 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Columbia, KY 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 Kentucky.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
34,417 ± 4,537 people
Cuba
21,613 ± 3,601 people
India
11,987 ± 2,684 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kentucky was Mexico, the natal country of 34,417 Kentucky residents, followed by Cuba with 21,613 and India with 11,987.

Foreign-Born Population

9.38%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

451 people

9.29%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

450 people

As of 2024, 9.38% of Columbia, KY residents (451 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 Columbia, KY was 9.29%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
87 ± 55
Gulf War (2001-)
52 ± 41
Gulf War (1990s)
3 ± 14

Columbia, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.67 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Columbia, KY.

Economy

The economy of Columbia, KY employs 2.08k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Columbia, KY were Educational Services (413 people), Retail Trade (372 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (360 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($98,977), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($97,841), and Wholesale Trade ($67,102).

Employment

Occupations

2.08k

2024 Value

± 321

8.83%

1 Year growth

± 21.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbia, KY grew at a rate of 8.83%, from 1.91k employees to 2.08k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbia, KY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (281 people), Sales & Related Occupations (259 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (187 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Columbia, KY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kentucky (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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2.08k

2024 Value

± 321

8.83%

1 Year growth

± 21.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbia, KY grew at a rate of 8.83%, from 1.91k employees to 2.08k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbia, KY, are Educational Services (413 people), Retail Trade (372 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (360 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Columbia, KY, though some of these residents may live in Columbia, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$22,019

Median earning men ± $4,989

$25,530

Median earning women ± $10,356

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($97,841), Other Services Except Public Administration ($75,183), and Manufacturing ($35,998).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($62,917), Public Administration ($43,258), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($35,863).

Education

The student population of Columbia, KY in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 2,294 male students and 1,899 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Columbia, KY are White (514 and 68.4%), Asian (91 and 12.1%), Unknown (72 and 9.59%), and Black or African American (52 and 6.92%).

The largest universities in Columbia, KY by number of degrees awarded are Lindsey Wilson College (1,288 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Columbia, KY are Other Computer & Information Technology Services Management (622 and 48.3%), Counseling Psychology (218 and 16.9%), and General Human Services (114 and 8.85%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $27,504.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 4,193 students enrolled in Columbia, KY, 54.7% men and 45.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Non-resident Alien with 2,027 records, of which 25.9% were women and 74.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Other Computer & Information Technology Services Management
622 degrees awarded
Counseling Psychology
218 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
28 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Masters Degree recipients in Columbia, KY was Other Computer & Information Technology Services Management with 622 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Lindsey Wilson College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

1,288 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lindsey Wilson College with 1,288 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 714 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Columbia, KY, which is 1.24 times more than the 574 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 514 degrees mean that there were 5.65 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 91 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

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($27,504) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($304) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Columbia, KY was $143,600 in 2024, which is 0.432 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $123,500 to $143,600, a 16.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Columbia, KY is 48.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Columbia, KY have an average commute time of 15.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Columbia, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$143,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$41,622

$761

Median Property Taxes

±$190

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

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

Rent vs Own

48.6%

Homeownership

2024

65.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 48.6% of the housing units in Columbia, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 43.7%.

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

Equity

Household Income

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

$47,299

Median Household Income

± $10,981

1.57k

Number of Households

± 298

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.57k households in Columbia, KY grew to $47,299 from the previous year's value of $45,221.

The following chart displays the households in Columbia, KY 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 - $15k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Columbia, KY is from Kentucky.

0.446

2024 Wage GINI in Kentucky

0.449

2023 Wage GINI in Kentucky

In 2024, the income inequality in Kentucky was 0.446 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.585% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kentucky was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kentucky in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (62.8%)
Worked At Home (16.8%)
Carpooled (15.3%)

In 2024, 62.8% of workers in Columbia, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (16.8%) and those who carpooled to work (15.3%).

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

15.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbia, KY have a shorter commute time (15.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.63% of the workforce in Columbia, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

18.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbia, KY (668 out of 3.65k 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 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Columbia, KY is White, followed by Two Or More 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

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

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

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