Columbia County, Pennsylvania Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Columbia County, PA 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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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 79% of counties in Pennsylvania
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 80% of counties in Pennsylvania
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Columbia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 65,057 | 13,004,688 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 132.7 | 282.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.27% | 0.21% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.5 | 41.6 | 37.3 |
| Households | 26,215 | 5,268,760 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Columbia County grew by 0.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 65,057 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Columbia County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.5% of residents. That is 5.3 points above Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 16,563 25.5% +5.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 11,386 17.5% -3.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 13,037 20.0% -0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 12,842 19.7% +0.7 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 Pennsylvania, 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 51.9% of the people living in Columbia County and men 48.1%.
- Women 51.9% Pennsylvania 50.8%
- Men 48.1% Pennsylvania 49.2%
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 | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,069 | $78,249 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.05% | 4.43% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.0% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Columbia County is about 18% lower than in Pennsylvania.
Housing
| Metric | Columbia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $235,821 | $152,469 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $943 | $1,208 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.5% | 69.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Columbia County is about 20.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $943 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Columbia County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 152 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Columbia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.2 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.4 | 44.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 152 | 186 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,705 | $5,779 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.9% | 15.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,000 | 6,862 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,095 | 1,152 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Cameron County (11.4 min), Elk County (15.4 min), McKean County (15.9 min).
Slowest:
Pike County (32.5 min), Perry County (32.0 min), Carbon County (30.5 min).
The average commute time in Columbia County is 18 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Pennsylvania.
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 D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Columbia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.5% | 31.4% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.32 | 2.39 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Chester County (0.4), Montgomery County (0.4), Allegheny County (0.4).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.1), Mifflin County (0.2), Juniata County (0.2).
Health
Columbia County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Columbia County | Pennsylvania Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.4 | 78.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.8% | 15.7% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.2% | 20.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Pennsylvania:
Montgomery County (0.8), Centre County (0.8), Chester County (0.8).
Lowest:
Forest County (0.8), Mifflin County (0.8), Jefferson County (0.8).
Columbia County, PA Compared With Nearby Counties
Columbia County, PA is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 65,057 residents against a local median of 143,391. The measure that sets Columbia County, PA apart most is median home price: $235,821, 171% above the local median of $86,986.
The counties themselves sit within $79,548 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Columbia County, PA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Columbia County, PA has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County, PA | 65,057 | $64,069 #3/4 | $235,821 #1/4 | 18.2 min #1/4 |
| Northumberland County, PA | 90,556 | $60,926 | $86,986 | 21.0 min |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 143,391 | $68,265 | $74,375 | 22.1 min |
| Luzerne County, PA | 326,964 | $64,503 | $153,924 | 20.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Columbia County, Pennsylvania.
How big is Columbia County, Pennsylvania by population?
About 65,057 people live in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, in 26,215 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 41.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Columbia County, Pennsylvania mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Columbia County, Pennsylvania has 133 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.5 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Columbia County, Pennsylvania an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.7 times the median household income ($235,821 against $64,069), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $943 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Columbia County, Pennsylvania have a college degree?
22.5% of adults in Columbia County, Pennsylvania hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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