Columbus, MS

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population

67,863

US Senator

Roger Wicker

Republican Party

US Senator

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.2

2.14% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

18.6%

2.09% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$51,117

0.911% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$150,900

8.87% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

26,748

2.19% 1-year decline

About

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.

98.8% of the residents in Columbus, MS are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Columbus, MS are Mississippi University for Women (796 degrees awarded in 2024).

In 2024, the median property value in Columbus, MS was $150,900, and the homeownership rate was 63%.

Most people in Columbus, MS drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Columbus, MS was 2 cars per household.

Columbus, MS borders Starkville, MS, Tuscaloosa, AL, and West Point, MS.

About the photo: Somewhere a few miles southeast of Golden Triangle Regional Airport near Columbus, Mississippi.

Photo by Roger Smith

United States Mississippi

Population & Diversity

Columbus, MS is home to a population of 67.9k people, from which 98.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.12% of Columbus, MS residents were born outside of the country (1.44k people).

In 2024, there were 1.05 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (32.6k people) in Columbus, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 30.9k White (Non-Hispanic) and 1.53k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.8%

2024 Citizenship

99%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.8% of Columbus, MS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Columbus, MS was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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)
32.6k ± 460
White (Non-Hispanic)
30.9k ± 319
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.53k ± 448

2.01%

Hispanic Population

1.37k people

2.01% of the people in Columbus, MS are hispanic (1.37k people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA 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

2.12%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.44k people

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.37k people

As of 2024, 2.12% of Columbus, MS residents (1.44k 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, MS was 2%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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-)
1,570 ± 342
Vietnam
1,095 ± 240
Gulf War (1990s)
477 ± 152

Columbus, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.43 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Health

88.7% of the population of Columbus, MS has health coverage, with 39.1% on employee plans, 20.7% on Medicaid, 12.2% on Medicare, 14.1% on non-group plans, and 2.58% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Mississippi see 1,875 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,875 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1939 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 436 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.9% were men and 53.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

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

1,875 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Mississippi

Primary care physicians in Mississippi see an average of 1,875 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,875 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.7% under 18 years, 20.6% between 18 and 34 years, 36.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.9% were men and 53.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

11.3%

Uninsured

39.1%

Employer Coverage

20.7%

Medicaid

12.2%

Medicare

14.1%

Non-Group

2.58%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Columbus, MS declined by 7% from 12.2% to 11.3%.

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.

Economy

The economy of Columbus, MS employs 26.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Columbus, MS were Manufacturing (4,443 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,861 people), and Retail Trade (3,329 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($66,063), Public Administration ($64,583), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($62,961).

Employment

Occupations

26.7k

2024 Value

± 1,425

−2.19%

1 Year decline

± 7.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbus, MS declined at a rate of −2.19%, from 27.3k employees to 26.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbus, MS, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,836 people), Production Occupations (2,519 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (2,517 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 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

26.7k

2024 Value

± 1,425

−2.19%

1 Year decline

± 7.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbus, MS declined at a rate of −2.19%, from 27.3k employees to 26.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbus, MS, are Manufacturing (4,443 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,861 people), and Retail Trade (3,329 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

$47,717

Median earning men ± $4,267

$33,729

Median earning women ± $2,968

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($108,077), Public Administration ($69,926), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($64,572).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($55,581), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($51,118), and Public Administration ($45,361).

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.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

130
Other Services (except Public Administration)
128
Retail Trade
95
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$329k
Manufacturing
$185k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$98.8k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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.

Education

In 2024, universities in Columbus, MS awarded 796 degrees. The student population of Columbus, MS in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 506 male students and 1,687 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Columbus, MS are White (478 and 60.6%), Black or African American (290 and 36.8%), American Indian or Alaska Native (8 and 1.01%), and Asian (6 and 0.76%).

The largest universities in Columbus, MS by number of degrees awarded are Mississippi University for Women (796 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Columbus, MS are Registered Nursing (352 and 44.2%), General Business Administration & Management (113 and 14.2%), and Speech-Language Pathology (56 and 7.04%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $8,392 for in-state students and $8,392 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Columbus, MS, the percentage of applicants admitted was 90.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 34.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 2,193 (23.1% men and 76.9% 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 2024 there were 2,193 students enrolled in Columbus, MS, 23.1% men and 76.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,241 records, of which 73.8% were women and 26.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
312 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
97 degrees awarded
Public Health Education & Promotion
43 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Columbus, MS was Registered Nursing with 312 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

796 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Mississippi University for Women with 796 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 129 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Columbus, MS, which is 0.193 times less than the 667 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 478 degrees mean that there were 1.65 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 290 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 ($8,392) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($100) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Columbus, MS was $150,900 in 2024, which is 0.454 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $138,600 to $150,900, a 8.87% increase. The homeownership rate in Columbus, MS is 63%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Columbus, MS have an average commute time of 21.9 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.

Housing

Property

$150,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,871

$16,979

Median Property Taxes

±$940

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

63%

Homeownership

2024

65.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63% of the housing units in Columbus, MS were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 64.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Columbus, 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.

$51,117

Median Household Income

± $3,178

27k

Number of Households

± 1,319

In 2024, the median household income of the 27k households in Columbus, MS declined from $51,117 from the previous year's value of $51,587.

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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Columbus, 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 (86.5%)
Carpooled (6.68%)
Worked At Home (4.83%)

In 2024, 86.5% of workers in Columbus, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (6.68%) and those who worked at home (4.83%).

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

21.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbus, MS have a shorter commute time (21.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.98% 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

18.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbus, MS (12.3k out of 66.1k 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 Females 55 - 64.

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.