The Columbia metro area: Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Richland and Saluda counties · Population 849,181 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in the Columbia area
Household size in the Columbia area
| Period | Columbia area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.51 | 2.54 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.55 | 2.59 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.55 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.46 | 2.50 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.05 | −0.04 | −0.03 |
The average household in the Columbia area has 2.46 people, under the U.S. average of 2.65. Household size has edged down from 2.51 in 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Households are largest in the southwest and smallest in the center.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in the Columbia area
| Period | Columbia area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.1 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 37.8 | 39.3 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 38.6 | 40.6 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 39.4 | 41.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.3 | +2.9 | +2.3 |
Half of the people in the Columbia area are younger than 39.4 and half are older, close to the national median of 40.1. The population here is younger than in South Carolina overall, where the median age is 41.2. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 37.1, mirroring the country.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in the Columbia area
| Period | Columbia area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.2% | 13.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 13.4% | 13.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 12.9% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 12.9% | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.3 pts | −1.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are a bit more common in the Columbia area than nationally: 12.9%, against 11.6%. Compared with other large metro areas, the Columbia area has a higher share of single-parent households than most.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in the Columbia area
Renters in the Columbia area
| Period | Columbia area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 31.2% | 30.1% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 32.8% | 31.4% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 32.1% | 30.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 30.6% | 28.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | −0.6 pts | −2.0 pts | +1.5 pts |
About three in ten households in the Columbia area rent their homes (30.6%), a little below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Nearly four in ten owners (38.5%) have paid off their mortgages, about the same as nationally. Renting is most common in the center and least common in the northwest. The renter share has edged down 0.6 points since 2006–10, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in the Columbia area
| Period | Columbia area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.7% | 14.2% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 12.0% | 14.2% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 11.8% | 13.3% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 10.3% | 11.8% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.4 pts | −2.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
About as many homes sit empty in the Columbia area as nationally: 10.3%, against 9.6%. The Columbia area has a higher vacancy rate than at least four in five large metro areas.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in the Columbia area
| Period | Columbia area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1984 | 1984 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1985 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1986 | 1987 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1990 | 1991 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +7 | +6 |
Much of the housing in the Columbia area is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1990, compared with 1980 for the U.S. as a whole. The median year built has moved up from 1984 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Newer construction is concentrated in the northwest, while the center has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in the Columbia area
| Period | Columbia area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $831 | $780 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $908 | $859 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,021 | $984 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,285 | $1,294 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$453 | +$514 | +$606 |
The median renter in the Columbia area pays $1,285 a month for rent and utilities, below the national median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $453 a month since 2006–10, up 55%, a slower climb than the nation's. Rent takes 32.3% of the typical renter's income, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. The priciest rents are in the northwest; the most affordable are in the southwest.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in the Columbia area
Bachelor's degrees in the Columbia area
| Period | Columbia area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 31.5% | 25.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 31.8% | 26.5% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 34.1% | 28.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 35.9% | 32.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | +4.4 pts | +7.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are about as common in the Columbia area as nationally: 35.9% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. The share is higher than in South Carolina overall (32.6%). The share with a degree is up 4.4 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in the Columbia area
| Period | Columbia area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 88.1% | 84.0% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 88.7% | 85.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 90.2% | 87.8% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 91.4% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.3 pts | +6.2 pts | +4.3 pts |
About nine in ten adults in the Columbia area have finished high school (91.4%), a bit above the national rate of 89.3%. The figure for South Carolina is much the same. Since 2006–10, the share with a diploma has risen 3.3 points, in line with the national trend.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in the Columbia area
| Period | Columbia area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.6% | 9.1% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 9.7% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.0% | 5.8% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.4% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.2 pts | −4.2 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 5.4%, unemployment in the Columbia area is the same as the national rate. Since 2006–10, unemployment has fallen 2.2 points, mirroring the country. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Largest cities in the Columbia area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia area (all) | 2.46 | 39.4 | 12.9% | 30.6% | 10.3% | 1990 | $1,285 | 35.9% | 91.4% | 5.4% |
| Lexington | 2.68 | 39.5 | 10.5% | 16.2% | 6.0% | 2001 | $1,327 | 41.9% | 94.2% | 3.6% |
| West Columbia | 2.28 | 39.8 | 10.6% | 32.6% | 9.3% | 1986 | $1,138 | 34.3% | 90.0% | 4.2% |
| Orangeburg | 2.42 | 39.2 | 22.0% | 44.7% | 18.7% | 1978 | $957 | 26.8% | 84.8% | 9.2% |
| Irmo | 2.71 | 41.3 | 12.3% | 16.8% | 5.0% | 1995 | $1,738 | 46.1% | 95.3% | 5.0% |
| Elgin | 2.68 | 38.8 | 13.4% | 15.3% | 7.0% | 2003 | $1,370 | 34.9% | 93.1% | 5.5% |
| Blythewood | 2.69 | 41.3 | 10.5% | 19.4% | 8.2% | 2006 | $1,406 | 49.0% | 96.1% | 5.3% |
| Chapin | 2.57 | 45.6 | 5.6% | 9.4% | 8.0% | 2003 | $1,807 | 49.3% | 95.9% | 3.0% |
| St. Andrews | 1.99 | 33.1 | 15.4% | 71.5% | 11.0% | 1979 | $1,148 | 28.1% | 91.7% | 7.9% |
| Camden | 2.42 | 44.7 | 9.6% | 25.7% | 13.7% | 1982 | $944 | 27.7% | 88.4% | 7.8% |
| Gaston | 2.59 | 37.3 | 18.0% | 27.2% | 10.8% | 1992 | $985 | 11.7% | 83.0% | 7.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: Boise area · Greensboro area · Stockton area · Charleston area · Dayton area · Sarasota area · Oxnard area · Allentown area · Worcester area · New Haven area
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up the Columbia area. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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