HomeNorth CarolinaPolk CountyColumbus
Columbus, North Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Columbus is a Census town of 1,071 people across 3.76 square miles of land, in Polk County. Median household income is $60,169, 63.4 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 12 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $8.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Columbus
What Columbus is
- Census place typetown
- Land area3.76 sq mi
- Water area0.01 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land285 plus or minus 78
- County holding the largest share of its areaPolk County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Columbus
How many people live in Columbus
- Population1,071 plus or minus 292
- Median age54.4 plus or minus 14.8
- Population under 18144 plus or minus 75
- Share under 1813.4 percent plus or minus 5.9
- Population 65 and over319 plus or minus 96
- Share 65 and over29.8 percent
- Households481 plus or minus 122
- Family households278 plus or minus 109
- Share of households that are families57.8 percent plus or minus 17.3
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Columbus
Income and work in Columbus
- Median household income$60,169 plus or minus $15,642
- Per capita income$31,357
- Civilian labor force501 plus or minus 172
- Employed480 plus or minus 167
- Unemployed21 plus or minus 24
- Unemployment rate4.2 percent plus or minus 4.6
- Adults 25 and over859 plus or minus 207
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher86.6 percent plus or minus 27.5
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher25.1 percent plus or minus 9.6
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.3 percent plus or minus 4.7
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Columbus
Housing in Columbus
- Housing units525 plus or minus 125
- Occupied units481 plus or minus 122
- Vacant units44 plus or minus 31
- Vacancy rate8.4 percent plus or minus 5.6
- Owner occupied305 plus or minus 95
- Renter occupied176 plus or minus 66
- Ownership rate63.4 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$265,700
- Median gross rent, monthly$788 plus or minus $476
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.7 percent plus or minus 10.3
- Single family units341 plus or minus 96
- Share single family65.0 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more151 plus or minus 60
- Share in buildings of two or more28.8 percent plus or minus 9.1
- Mobile homes33 plus or minus 35
- Median year structure built1976
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Columbus
How Columbus gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute421 plus or minus 153
- Commuting under 15 minutes168 plus or minus 98
- Share commuting under 15 minutes39.9 percent plus or minus 18.2
- Commuting 30 minutes or more138 plus or minus 60
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more32.8 percent plus or minus 8.0
- Drove alone75.6 percent
- Carpooled13.6 percent plus or minus 9.9
- Public transport0.0 percent
- Walked0.0 percent
- Worked from home10.8 percent plus or minus 9.2
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Columbus
SBA loans in Columbus (7(a))
- Approvals12
- Gross approval$8,789,000
- Average approval$732,417
- Median approval$339,000
- Largest approval$3,133,000
- Jobs supported128
- Jobs per approval10.7
- Loans with a final outcome2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more25.0 percent
- Share to franchises0.0 percent
- Distinct lenders7
- Distinct industries by NAICS9
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Columbus, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 2 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Columbus
SBA loans in Columbus (504)
- Approvals3
- Gross approval$1,084,000
- Average approval$361,333
- Median approval$138,000
- Largest approval$808,000
- Jobs supported5
- Loans with a final outcome0
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs1
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Columbus, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Columbus
Flood risk in Columbus
- NFIP communityTown of Columbus
- NFIP community number370096
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date10/02/08
The Town of Columbus participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 370096 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Polk County, not Columbus
Polk County context, not Columbus figures
- Establishments in Polk County504
- Covered employment, Polk County5,441
- Average annual pay, Polk County$46,331
- Housing units permitted, Polk County143
Every figure in this section is published for Polk County as a whole and is not a measurement of Columbus.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Columbus questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Columbus, North Carolina?
1,071, in 481 households. Columbus town covers 3.76 square miles of land, which is 285 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Columbus in?
Polk County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Columbus?
$60,169. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $265,700. Median gross rent is $788 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Columbus businesses?
12 7(a) approvals totaling $8.8 m since FY2020, across 7 lenders, median approval $339,000, plus 3 504 approvals worth $1.1 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Columbus, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Columbus borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Columbus. Only 2 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Columbus in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Columbus appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Columbus, town of, community 370096, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Columbus figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Polk County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Columbus.
Is zoning published for Columbus?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.