Population

147,035

US Census estimate, July 2025

Median home value

$264,300

Owner-occupied units

Columbia, SC

South Carolina · 34.041° N, 80.906° W · 139 sq mi

Columbia is a city in South Carolina, with a population of 147,035 and about 1,055 residents per square mile. The median household earns $55,529 a year, and the median home is worth $264,300.

Conditions

Humidity & wind

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UV index

—

Sunrise & sunset

—

Local time

—

Size & density

Land area

139 sq mi

Water excluded

Population density

1,055

People per square mile

Rank by population

#198

Of cities on this site

Rank by area

#57

Of cities on this site

Money & housing

Median household income

$55,529

US median ≈ $78,538

Median gross rent

$1,204

Per month

Homeownership

45.5%

US ≈ 65%

Average commute

17.7 min

One way

People

Median age

28.6

US median 39.1

Bachelor's degree +

45.9%

Age 25 and over

Foreign born

5.8%

Households

53,076

2.16 people each

What people here do for work

Education & health care 27.5^%

Arts, food & hospitality 12.8^%

Professional & business services 11.9^%

Retail trade 11.8^%

Top four industries · share of all workers · ACS 2024

Wealthiest person in South Carolina

Name

Robert Faith

Forbes, Apr 2025

Net worth

$5B

As of 25 Apr 2025 — not live

Lives in

Charleston

Source of wealth

Real estate management

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

Largest employer in South Carolina · private sector

Employer

Prisma Health

Sector

Healthcare

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified. Government employers are excluded.

Largest public company in South Carolina

Company

Sonoco Products

Revenue

$5.3B

Fiscal year 2024

Headquarters

Hartsville

Ticker

SON

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

Forgotten Flicks movie T-shirts on TeePublic

State of South Carolina

State bird

Carolina Wren

State flower

Yellow Jessamine

State capital

Columbia

Nickname

The Palmetto State

Compare Columbia with

Columbia vs Augusta-Richmond CountySide by side
Columbia vs CharlestonSide by side
Columbia vs RockfordSide by side
Columbia vs Rock HillSide by side
Columbia vs CharlotteSide by side
Columbia vs VisaliaSide by side

Cities near Columbia

Rock Hill, SC62 mi · 75,911
Charlotte, NC81 mi · 964,784
Augusta-Richmond County, GA82 mi · 201,999
Summerville, SC83 mi · 53,177
Gastonia, NC85 mi · 87,067
Goose Creek, SC89 mi · 52,010
North Charleston, SC91 mi · 129,245
Huntersville, NC94 mi · 68,535

Cities about the same size

Rockford, IL147,384
Visalia, CA146,541
Midland, TX147,615
Thornton, CO147,766
Waco, TX147,788
Pomona, CA147,807
Escondido, CA146,030
Palm Bay, FL148,092