Columbia, PA

Census Place

2024 Population

10,278

US Senator

John Fetterman

Democratic Party

US Senator

Dave McCormick

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

41.8

7.93% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

21.4%

22.9% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$54,437

4.14% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$196,500

Population & Diversity

Columbia, PA is home to a population of 10.3k people, from which 99.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.4% of Columbia, PA residents were born outside of the country (349 people).

In 2024, there were 8.59 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.79k people) in Columbia, PA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 790 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 783 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2024 Citizenship

99%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.2% of Columbia, PA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Columbia, PA was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Columbia, PA

White (Non-Hispanic)
6.79k ± 642
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
790 ± 381
Other (Hispanic)
783 ± 415

22.9%

Hispanic Population

2.35k people

22.9% of the people in Columbia, PA are hispanic (2.35k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Columbia, PA 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 Pennsylvania.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
103,235 ± 7,857 people
India
102,082 ± 7,813 people
China
73,024 ± 6,616 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Pennsylvania was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 103,235 Pennsylvania residents, followed by India with 102,082 and China with 73,024.

Foreign-Born Population

3.4%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

349 people

3.25%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

332 people

As of 2024, 3.4% of Columbia, PA residents (349 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, PA was 3.25%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
199 ± 84
Gulf War (2001-)
190 ± 138
Gulf War (1990s)
82 ± 60

Columbia, PA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.05 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Columbia, PA employs 5.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Columbia, PA were Manufacturing (1,011 people), Retail Trade (676 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (657 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($93,000), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($78,882), and Construction ($62,703).

Employment

Occupations

5.1k

2024 Value

± 574

1.51%

1 Year growth

± 15.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbia, PA grew at a rate of 1.51%, from 5.03k employees to 5.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbia, PA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (576 people), Material Moving Occupations (532 people), and Production Occupations (453 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Columbia, PA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Pennsylvania (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

5.1k

2024 Value

± 574

1.51%

1 Year growth

± 15.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbia, PA grew at a rate of 1.51%, from 5.03k employees to 5.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbia, PA, are Manufacturing (1,011 people), Retail Trade (676 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (657 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Columbia, PA, though some of these residents may live in Columbia, PA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,143

Median earning men ± $8,069

$38,440

Median earning women ± $5,413

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($100,208), Retail Trade ($79,722), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($55,585).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($92,750), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($60,000), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($58,609).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Columbia, PA was $196,500 in 2024, which is 0.591 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $174,200 to $196,500, a 12.8% increase. The homeownership rate in Columbia, PA is 52.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Columbia, PA have an average commute time of 23.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Columbia, PA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$196,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$19,575

$2,411

Median Property Taxes

±$328

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

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

Rent vs Own

52.8%

Homeownership

2024

62.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 52.8% of the housing units in Columbia, PA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 52.2%.

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

$54,437

Median Household Income

± $7,615

4.57k

Number of Households

± 540

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.57k households in Columbia, PA grew to $54,437 from the previous year's value of $52,271.

The following chart displays the households in Columbia, PA 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, PA is from Pennsylvania.

0.463

2024 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

0.463

2023 Wage GINI in Pennsylvania

In 2024, the income inequality in Pennsylvania was 0.463 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0903% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Pennsylvania was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Pennsylvania in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (73.7%)
Carpooled (11.2%)
Walked (6.51%)

In 2024, 73.7% of workers in Columbia, PA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.2%) and those who walked to work (6.51%).

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

23.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbia, PA have a shorter commute time (23.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.92% of the workforce in Columbia, PA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

21.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbia, PA (2.14k out of 9.97k 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 65 - 74, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Columbia, PA is Hispanic, followed by White and Other.

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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