Columbia County, Florida

FL · FIPS 12023 Republican

Located in Florida, Columbia County has a population of 71,789 residents and a median age of 40.7 years, making it the #776 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 16.7%. The median home value is $194,900, and the median household income is $59,205, which is 21% below the national median.

71,789
Population
#776 of 3,222
$59,205
Median Income
-21.2% #2,156 of 3,222
40.7 years
Median Age
+4.6% #1,885 of 3,222
16.7%
Poverty Rate
+32.3% #2,244 of 3,222

Demographics

Columbia County has a population of 71,789, making it the #776 most populous county in the US. The median age is 40.7 years, which is 4.6% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

95.3%
Native Born
4.7%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Columbia County is $59,205, ranking #2,156 out of 3,222 counties — 21.2% below the national median. The poverty rate is 16.7% and unemployment stands at 5.3%.

Income#2,156
$59,205
-21.2%
vs nation
33th percentile
Per Capita#2,526
$29,367
-28.8%
vs nation
22th percentile
Poverty#2,244
16.7%
+32.3%
vs nation
30th percentile
Unemployment#2,204
5.3%
+0.2%
vs nation
32th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Columbia County is $194,900 (-30.9% vs national). Renters pay a median of $976/mo and the homeownership rate is 72.5%.

Home Value#1,457
$194,900
-30.9%
vs nation
55th percentile
Rent#1,074
$976
-16.1%
vs nation
67th percentile
Homeownership#1,935
72.5%
+12.6%
vs nation
40th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Columbia County, 16.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 50.1% below the national average, ranking #2,528 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
16.8% −50.1% vs nation
Rank #2,528 of 3,222
22th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Columbia County is 72.4 years. 22.2% of adults report poor or fair health and 13.6% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,410
72.4
-3.7%
vs nation
21th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#2,272
22.2%
+13.5%
vs nation
28th percentile
Diabetes#2,018
11.8%
+6.0%
vs nation
36th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#2,086
39.3%
+5.3%
vs nation
34th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#2,485
6.1
+8.3%
vs nation
21th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#2,365
4.9
+10.1%
vs nation
25th percentile
Uninsured Rate#2,430
13.6%
+29.5%
vs nation
23th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,949
27.8%
+5.4%
vs nation
38th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,751
14.8%
+2.7%
vs nation
44th percentile

Substance Use

20.2% of adults in Columbia County smoke , 38.3% are obese , and 20.1% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 26.1 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#2,308
20.2%
+12.5%
vs nation
27th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,513
38.3%
+1.0%
vs nation
52th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,634
20.1%
+1.4%
vs nation
48th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#947
26.1
-19.4%
vs nation
55th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Columbia County is 8.3 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 21.7 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 23.8 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,026
8.3
+3.4%
vs nation
33th percentile
Suicide Rate#1,779
21.7
+10.0%
vs nation
31th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,586
19.3
+8.1%
vs nation
36th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,990
23.8
+17.5%
vs nation
30th percentile

Families & Children

21.8% of children in Columbia County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 11.8 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 27.8 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#1,317
11.8
+73.7%
vs nation
4th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#2,184
27.8
+27.3%
vs nation
27th percentile
Child Poverty#2,150
21.8%
+14.8%
vs nation
32th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Columbia County is 60.7%. The mean commute time is 28.2 min, which is 2.3% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
60.7% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
28.2 min +2.3% vs nation
Rank #1,211 of 3,222
62th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Columbia County voted Republican with a margin of 50.1%. The vote was 24.6% Dem / 74.7% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 5.0 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +50.1%
24.6% 74.7%
Dem 33,592 votes Rep
2020 REP +45.1%
27% 72.1%
Dem 33,042 votes Rep
2016 REP +44.4%
26.5% 70.9%
Dem 28,696 votes Rep
2012 REP +36.6%
31.2% 67.8%
Dem 27,163 votes Rep
2008 REP +33.8%
32.6% 66.4%
Dem 28,128 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Columbia County, Florida

Columbia County, Florida has a total population of 71,789, making it the 776th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Columbia County is 40.7 years, which is 4.6% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Columbia County is $59,205, which ranks #2,156 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 21.2% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 16.7%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.3%.

The median home value in Columbia County is $194,900, 30.9% below the national median. Renters in Columbia County pay a median gross rent of $976 per month. The homeownership rate is 72.5%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Columbia County, 16.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 50.1% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 87.4% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 28.2 min.

Columbia County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 70.3% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (16.1%) and Hispanic or Latino (7.9%).

All data for Columbia County, Florida comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.