Columbia County, Georgia

GA · FIPS 13073 Republican

Located in Georgia, Columbia County has a population of 162,434 residents and a median age of 37.9 years, making it the #425 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 7.5%. The median home value is $305,300, and the median household income is $95,592, which is 27% above the national median.

162,434
Population
#425 of 3,222
$95,592
Median Income
+27.2% #215 of 3,222
37.9 years
Median Age
-2.6% #2,594 of 3,222
7.5%
Poverty Rate
-40.7% #277 of 3,222

Demographics

Columbia County has a population of 162,434, making it the #425 most populous county in the US. The median age is 37.9 years, which is 2.6% below the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

92.7%
Native Born
7.3%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Columbia County is $95,592, ranking #215 out of 3,222 counties — 27.2% above the national median. The poverty rate is 7.5% and unemployment stands at 4.6%.

Income#215
$95,592
+27.2%
vs nation
93th percentile
Per Capita#499
$43,717
+6.0%
vs nation
85th percentile
Poverty#277
7.5%
-40.7%
vs nation
91th percentile
Unemployment#1,741
4.6%
-13.2%
vs nation
46th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Columbia County is $305,300 (+8.3% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,409/mo and the homeownership rate is 78.1%.

Home Value#603
$305,300
+8.3%
vs nation
81th percentile
Rent#308
$1,409
+21.2%
vs nation
90th percentile
Homeownership#936
78.1%
+21.3%
vs nation
71th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Columbia County, 38.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 14.1% above the national average, ranking #333 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
38.5% +14.1% vs nation
Rank #333 of 3,222
90th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Columbia County is 78.4 years. 17.4% of adults report poor or fair health and 10.3% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#535
78.4
+4.4%
vs nation
83th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,174
17.4%
-11.1%
vs nation
63th percentile
Diabetes#1,597
10.9%
-2.1%
vs nation
49th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,069
35.6%
-4.6%
vs nation
66th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#516
5.1
-10.3%
vs nation
84th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#521
3.8
-15.0%
vs nation
84th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,756
10.3%
-1.8%
vs nation
44th percentile
Physical Inactivity#993
23.7%
-10.2%
vs nation
68th percentile
Food Insecurity#490
10.9%
-24.3%
vs nation
84th percentile

Substance Use

15.0% of adults in Columbia County smoke , 36.0% are obese , and 17.3% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 21.1 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#641
15.0%
-16.5%
vs nation
80th percentile
Adult Obesity#912
36.0%
-5.0%
vs nation
71th percentile
Excessive Drinking#627
17.3%
-13.1%
vs nation
80th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#644
21.1
-34.6%
vs nation
70th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Columbia County is 3.1 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 15.7 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 11.0 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#277
3.1
-61.1%
vs nation
82th percentile
Suicide Rate#866
15.7
-20.5%
vs nation
66th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#696
12.7
-28.8%
vs nation
72th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#456
11.0
-45.8%
vs nation
84th percentile

Families & Children

8.1% of children in Columbia County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 5.9 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 8.1 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#545
5.9
-12.6%
vs nation
60th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#278
8.1
-62.8%
vs nation
91th percentile
Child Poverty#152
8.1%
-57.4%
vs nation
95th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Columbia County is 72.7%. The mean commute time is 27.7 min, which is 0.5% above the national average.

Voter Turnout
72.7% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
27.7 min +0.5% vs nation
Rank #1,315 of 3,222
59th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Columbia County voted Republican with a margin of 25.6%. The vote was 36.8% Dem / 62.4% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted +0.2 toward Democrats .

2024 REP +25.6%
36.8% 62.4%
Dem 85,920 votes Rep
2020 REP +25.8%
36.3% 62.1%
Dem 80,575 votes Rep
2016 REP +37.7%
29.4% 67.1%
Dem 64,190 votes Rep
2012 REP +43.0%
27.9% 70.9%
Dem 58,842 votes Rep
2008 REP +42.6%
28.4% 71%
Dem 55,351 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Columbia County, Georgia

Columbia County, Georgia has a total population of 162,434, making it the 425th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Columbia County is 37.9 years, which is 2.6% below the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Columbia County is $95,592, which ranks #215 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 27.2% above the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 7.5%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.6%.

The median home value in Columbia County is $305,300, 8.3% above the national median. Renters in Columbia County pay a median gross rent of $1,409 per month. The homeownership rate is 78.1%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Columbia County, 38.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 14.1% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 90.7% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 27.7 min.

Columbia County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 63.2% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (18.7%) and Hispanic or Latino (8.0%).

All data for Columbia County, Georgia 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.