Columbia County, Florida Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Columbia County, FL Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Columbia County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 71,789 | 22,388,905 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 89.6 | 313.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.65% | 1.47% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.7 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 27,430 | 8,743,019 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Columbia County grew by 6.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 71,789 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Columbia County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 20.2% of residents. That is 0.6 points above Florida as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 14,110 19.7% +0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 14,256 19.9% -0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 14,431 20.1% -0.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 14,520 20.2% +0.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Florida, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 48.7% of the people living in Columbia County and men 51.3%.
- Women 48.7% Florida 51.0%
- Men 51.3% Florida 49.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Columbia County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Columbia County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Columbia County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,118 | $74,580 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.15% | 5.42% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Columbia County is about 21% lower than in Florida.
Housing
| Metric | Columbia County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $109,269 | $311,338 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $975 | $1,668 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.5% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Columbia County is about 9.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $975 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Columbia County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 171 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Columbia County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.5 | 24.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.1 | 47.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 171 | 200 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,306 | $6,189 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.3% | 15.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,177 | 14,318 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 837 | 3,068 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Florida:
Taylor County (13.8 min), Monroe County (16.1 min), Franklin County (16.6 min).
Slowest:
Washington County (32.8 min), Osceola County (32.3 min), Liberty County (32.1 min).
The average commute time in Columbia County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 24 minutes in Florida.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Columbia County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Columbia County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.5% | 30.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Florida:
St. Johns County (0.4), Leon County (0.4), Alachua County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hamilton County (0.1), Hendry County (0.1), Hardee County (0.1).
Health
Columbia County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Columbia County | Florida Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.8 | 77.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.2% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.5% | 21.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Florida:
St. Johns County (0.8), Seminole County (0.8), Alachua County (0.8).
Lowest:
Glades County (0.8), Putnam County (0.8), Hendry County (0.8).
Columbia County, FL Compared With Nearby Counties
Columbia County, FL is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 71,789 residents against a local median of 28,430. Where Columbia County, FL breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 61% below the local median of $280,178 at $109,269.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.5 min against a local median of 27.9 min, 26% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 26% below the local median it puts Columbia County, FL at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $902,649 on median home price, so Columbia County, FL sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Columbia County, FL has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, FL | 71,789 | $59,118 #3/4 | $109,269 #4/4 | 20.5 min #1/4 |
| Baker County, FL | 28,430 | $80,080 | $1,138,889 | 30.2 min |
| Suwannee County, FL | 45,342 | $56,397 | $236,240 | 23.2 min |
| Bradford County, FL | 27,885 | $62,931 | $280,178 | 27.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Columbia County, Florida.
How big is Columbia County, Florida by population?
About 71,789 people live in Columbia County, Florida, in 27,430 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Columbia County, Florida?
Averaged over its land area, Columbia County, Florida has 90 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Columbia County, Florida an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.8 times the median household income ($109,269 against $59,118), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $975 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Columbia County, Florida have a college degree?
14.5% of adults in Columbia County, Florida hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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