Columbus County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Columbus County, NC Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 93% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 89% of counties in North Carolina
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 83% of counties in North Carolina
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Columbus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 50,166 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 52.5 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.57% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.4 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 20,058 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Columbus County declined by 7.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 50,166 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Columbus County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.2% of residents. That is 0.7 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 10,042 20.0% -1.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,440 18.8% -2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,656 21.2% +0.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 10,119 20.2% +3.2 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 North Carolina, 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 50.7% of the people living in Columbus County and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 49.3% North Carolina 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Columbus County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Columbus County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Columbus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,633 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.20% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Columbus County is about 31% lower than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Columbus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $81,071 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $824 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.1% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Columbus County is about 8.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $824 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Columbus County spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 211 hours, about 8.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Columbus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.4 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 50.8 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 211 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,556 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.4% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,946 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 895 | 1,609 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
North Carolina:
Macon County (17.2 min), Watauga County (17.2 min), Dare County (17.4 min).
Slowest:
Gates County (35.9 min), Currituck County (33.9 min), Tyrrell County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Columbus County is 25 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in North Carolina.
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
Columbus County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Columbus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.5% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.39 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.5), Wake County (0.4), Durham County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hyde County (0.2), Greene County (0.2), Tyrrell County (0.2).
Health
Columbus County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Columbus County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.2 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.8% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.4% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.8), Wake County (0.8), Watauga County (0.8).
Lowest:
Robeson County (0.8), Lenoir County (0.8), Halifax County (0.8).
Columbus County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Columbus County, NC is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 50,166 residents against a local median of 116,854. Columbus County, NC's median home price, at $81,071, runs 39% below the $132,812 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $49,633 against a local median of $42,419, 17% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Columbus County, NC is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $191,479 on median home price, so Columbus County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Columbus County, NC has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus County, NC | 50,166 | $49,633 #3/6 | $81,071 #6/6 | 25.4 min #5/6 |
| Bladen County, NC | 29,571 | $41,756 | $121,527 | 23.7 min |
| Horry County, SC | 382,931 | $66,773 | $259,566 | 20.9 min |
| Brunswick County, NC | 152,554 | $77,075 | $286,445 | 22.1 min |
| Robeson County, NC | 116,854 | $42,419 | $94,967 | 21.4 min |
| Marion County, SC | 28,664 | $36,420 | $132,812 | 28.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Columbus County, North Carolina.
How big is Columbus County, North Carolina by population?
About 50,166 people live in Columbus County, North Carolina, in 20,058 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 40.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Columbus County, North Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Columbus County, North Carolina has 53 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 61% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Columbus County, North Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.6 times the median household income ($81,071 against $49,633), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $824 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Columbus County, North Carolina?
13.5% of adults in Columbus County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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