Columbus, NC

Census Place

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2024 Population
1,071
US Senator
Thom Tillis
Republican Party
US Senator
Ted Budd
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
54.4
6.88% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
13.2%
13.1% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$60,169
7.29% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$265,700
26.5% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
480
5.7% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Columbus, NC 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.

94% of the residents in Columbus, NC are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Columbus, NC was $265,700, and the homeownership rate was 63.4%.

Most people in Columbus, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Columbus, NC was 2 cars per household.

United StatesNorth CarolinaPolk County, NCRutherford, Cleveland (West) & Polk Counties--Shelby City PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

Columbus, NC is home to a population of 1.07k people, from which 94% are citizens. As of 2024, 9.71% of Columbus, NC residents were born outside of the country (104 people).

In 2024, there were 8.88 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (764 people) in Columbus, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 86 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 67 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94%
2024 Citizenship
92.1%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94% of Columbus, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Columbus, NC was 92.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Columbus, NC
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    764 ± 177
  2. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    86 ± 116
  3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    67 ± 56
16.7%
Hispanic Population
179 people

In 2024, there were 8.88 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (764 people) in Columbus, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 86 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 67 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

16.7% of the people in Columbus, NC are hispanic (179 people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    224,963 ± 11,520 people
  2. India
    83,219 ± 7,055 people
  3. Honduras
    48,247 ± 5,380 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 224,963 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 83,219 and Honduras with 48,247.

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Foreign-Born Population

9.71%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
104 people
11.2%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
131 people

As of 2024, 9.71% of Columbus, NC residents (104 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, NC was 11.2%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    10 ± 22
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    5 ± 21
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    2 ± 15

Columbus, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Columbus, NC employs 480 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Columbus, NC were Retail Trade (116 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (84 people), and Transportation & Warehousing (49 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($81,042), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($79,028), and Transportation & Warehousing ($79,028).

Employment

Occupations

480
2024 Value
± 144
−5.7%
1 Year decline
± 44%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbus, NC declined at a rate of −5.7%, from 509 employees to 480 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Columbus, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (86 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (78 people), and Management Occupations (47 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Columbus, NC.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (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

480
2024 Value
± 144
−5.7%
1 Year decline
± 44%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Columbus, NC declined at a rate of −5.7%, from 509 employees to 480 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Columbus, NC, are Retail Trade (116 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (84 people), and Transportation & Warehousing (49 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Columbus, NC, though some of these residents may live in Columbus, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$41,684
Median earning men ± $16,035
$28,056
Median earning women ± $7,030

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($79,722), Retail Trade ($41,352), and Manufacturing ($29,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($45,000), Retail Trade ($27,813), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($23,882).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.
Y-Axis
3.04%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% 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 10.9%.

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

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Columbus, NC was $265,700 in 2024, which is 0.799 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $210,100 to $265,700, a 26.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Columbus, NC is 63.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Columbus, NC have an average commute time of 21.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Columbus, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$265,700
Median Property Value 2024
±$28,252
$305
Median Property Taxes
±$102

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, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

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

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Rent vs Own

63.4%
Homeownership
2024
60.6%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 63.4% of the housing units in Columbus, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.8%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$60,169
Median Household Income
± $15,642
481
Number of Households
± 121

In 2024, the median household income of the 481 households in Columbus, NC grew to $60,169 from the previous year's value of $56,083.

The following chart displays the households in Columbus, NC 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 $60k - $75k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Columbus, NC is from North Carolina.
0.467
2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina
0.47
2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2023, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.467 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.639% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

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

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (75.6%)
  2. Carpooled (13.6%)
  3. Worked At Home (10.8%)

In 2024, 75.6% of workers in Columbus, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (13.6%) and those who worked at home (10.8%).

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.

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Commute Time

21.4 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Columbus, NC have a shorter commute time (21.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.9% of the workforce in Columbus, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Columbus, NC (134 out of 1.01k 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 65 - 74, followed by Females 75+ and then Females 12 - 14.

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

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Health

83.8% of the population of Columbus, NC has health coverage, with 28.4% on employee plans, 19.5% on Medicaid, 20.2% on Medicare, 14.3% on non-group plans, and 1.38% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see 1,413 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1634 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 299 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 44.7% were men and 55.3% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 14.2% under 18 years, 21.4% between 18 and 34 years, 35.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 28.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 44.7% were men and 55.3% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

16.2%
Uninsured
28.4%
Employer Coverage
19.5%
Medicaid
20.2%
Medicare
14.3%
Non-Group
1.38%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Columbus, NC declined by 9.7% from 17.9% to 16.2%.

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

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