Columbia, MS

Census Place

2024 Population

6,632

US Senator

Roger Wicker

Republican Party

US Senator

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

41.4

4.55% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

24.5%

4.23% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$38,507

12.2% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$131,700

Population & Diversity

Columbia, MS is home to a population of 6.63k people, from which 99.8% are citizens.

As of 2024, 0.166% of Columbia, MS residents were born outside of the country (11 people).

In 2024, there were 1.66 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.95k people) in Columbia, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.38k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 111 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.8%

2024 Citizenship

99.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.8% of Columbia, MS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Columbia, MS was 99.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Columbia, MS

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.95k ± 407
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
2.38k ± 404
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
111 ± 89

1.69%

Hispanic Population

112 people

1.69% of the people in Columbia, MS are hispanic (112 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Columbia, 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
15,967 ± 3,094 people
Honduras
6,221 ± 1,934 people
Guatemala
4,623 ± 1,668 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Mississippi was Mexico, the natal country of 15,967 Mississippi residents, followed by Honduras with 6,221 and Guatemala with 4,623.

Foreign-Born Population

0.166%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

11 people

0.258%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

15 people

As of 2024, 0.166% of Columbia, MS residents (11 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, MS was 0.258%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
66 ± 61
Gulf War (2001-)
52 ± 46
Gulf War (1990s)
19 ± 33

Columbia, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.27 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Columbia, MS employs 2.07k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Columbia, MS were Health Care & Social Assistance (408 people), Retail Trade (276 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (233 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($86,250), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($66,438), and Manufacturing ($50,924).

Employment

Occupations

2.07k

2024 Value

± 363

9.12%

1 Year growth

± 23%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbia, MS grew at a rate of 9.12%, from 1.9k employees to 2.07k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbia, MS, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (253 people), Sales & Related Occupations (249 people), and Healthcare Support Occupations (186 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Columbia, MS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2.07k

2024 Value

± 363

9.12%

1 Year growth

± 23%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbia, MS grew at a rate of 9.12%, from 1.9k employees to 2.07k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbia, MS, are Health Care & Social Assistance (408 people), Retail Trade (276 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (233 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Columbia, MS, though some of these residents may live in Columbia, MS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$30,855

Median earning men ± $9,966

$28,371

Median earning women ± $1,678

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($127,931), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($85,147), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,736).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($46,087), Retail Trade ($37,399), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($35,595).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Columbia, MS was $131,700 in 2024, which is 0.396 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $112,100 to $131,700, a 17.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Columbia, MS is 63.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Columbia, MS have an average commute time of 20.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Columbia, MS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$131,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$24,889

$1,550

Median Property Taxes

±$299

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, MS the largest share of households pay taxes in the None range.

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

Rent vs Own

63.4%

Homeownership

2024

72.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63.4% of the housing units in Columbia, MS were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 58%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Columbia, MS 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.

$38,507

Median Household Income

± $5,127

2.45k

Number of Households

± 382

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.45k households in Columbia, MS grew to $38,507 from the previous year's value of $34,328.

The following chart displays the households in Columbia, 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 $45k - $50k range.

Wage Distribution

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

0.447

2024 Wage GINI in Mississippi

0.45

2023 Wage GINI in Mississippi

In 2024, the income inequality in Mississippi was 0.447 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.74% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Mississippi was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 2024

Drove Alone (83.7%)
Worked At Home (8.6%)
Carpooled (4.52%)

In 2024, 83.7% of workers in Columbia, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.6%) and those who carpooled to work (4.52%).

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

20.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbia, MS have a shorter commute time (20.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.71% of the workforce in Columbia, MS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

24.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbia, MS (1.45k out of 5.92k 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 Males 35 - 44, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Females 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Columbia, 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

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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