HomeSouth CarolinaLexington CountyWest Columbia city
West Columbia city, South Carolina: commercial real estate data.
West Columbia city is a Census city of 17,963 people across 9.41 square miles of land, in Lexington County. Median household income is $56,912, 55.3 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 58 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $35.0 m.
77 sourced place values · tier FULL · 8 sections
West Columbia
What West Columbia is
- Census place typecity
- Land area9.41 sq mi
- Water area0.17 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land1,908
- County holding the largest share of its areaLexington 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.
West Columbia
How many people live in West Columbia
- Population17,963
- Median age38.6
- Population under 183,071
- Share under 1817.1 percent
- Population 65 and over3,928
- Share 65 and over21.9 percent
- Households8,516
- Family households3,880
- Share of households that are families45.6 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
West Columbia
Income and work in West Columbia
- Median household income$56,912
- Per capita income$36,920
- Civilian labor force9,208
- Employed8,763
- Unemployed445 plus or minus 183
- Unemployment rate4.8 percent plus or minus 2.0
- Adults 25 and over12,955
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher90.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher40.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree16.0 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
West Columbia
Housing in West Columbia
- Housing units9,318
- Occupied units8,516
- Vacant units802 plus or minus 231
- Vacancy rate8.6 percent plus or minus 2.4
- Owner occupied4,713
- Renter occupied3,803
- Ownership rate55.3 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$201,700
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,201
- Annual rent as a share of median income25.3 percent
- Single family units5,934
- Share single family63.7 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more2,903
- Share in buildings of two or more31.2 percent
- Mobile homes481 plus or minus 146
- Median year structure built1976
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
West Columbia
How West Columbia gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute7,983
- Commuting under 15 minutes2,844
- Share commuting under 15 minutes35.6 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more1,510 plus or minus 340
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more18.9 percent plus or minus 4.1
- Drove alone76.2 percent
- Carpooled8.7 percent plus or minus 3.1
- Public transport0.0 percent
- Walked1.2 percent plus or minus 0.9
- Worked from home9.8 percent plus or minus 2.8
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
West Columbia
SBA 7(a) lending to West Columbia borrowers
- Approvals58
- Gross approval$34,966,200
- Average approval$602,866
- Median approval$340,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$1,237,500
- Largest approval$4,500,000
- Jobs supported492
- Jobs per approval8.5
- Loans with a final outcome13
- Paid in full12
- Charged off1
- Charge-off rate over resolved loans7.7 percent
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more20.7 percent
- Share to franchises25.9 percent
- Distinct lenders27
- Distinct industries by NAICS37
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
West Columbia
SBA 504 lending to West Columbia borrowers
- Approvals18
- Gross approval$11,288,000
- Average approval$627,111
- Median approval$547,000
- Largest approval$1,684,000
- Jobs supported275
- Loans with a final outcome6
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs4
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Lexington County, not West Columbia
Lexington County context, not West Columbia figures
These are Lexington County figures. There is no place level equivalent published for any of them, so they are shown as the county backdrop and never as West Columbia measurements.
- Establishments in Lexington County7,391
- Employment at those establishments, Lexington County117,298
- Covered employment, Lexington County132,596
- Average annual pay, Lexington County$56,005
- Average weekly wage, Lexington County$1,077
- Housing units permitted, Lexington County1,758
- Of those, single family, Lexington County1,756
- County product, 2024, Lexington County$19,752,180,000
- County product change over the prior year, Lexington County7.2 percent
- Average income of an arriving household, Lexington County$65,254
Every figure in this section is published for Lexington County as a whole and is not a measurement of West Columbia. It is here because a county backdrop is what a credit committee reads a place against, and it is labelled so that it can never be quoted as the place's own.
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. US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024. US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- This place is not listed as a community in the FEMA Community Status Book, so no NFIP participation or CRS class is shown.
- Parcel level detail, zoning and flood zone at an address are resolved in the platform, not on this page.
SBA figures count approvals to borrowers whose address is in the place. They are not approvals for projects inside the place boundary: the tape records a borrower city and a project county, and those can differ.
Common questions
West Columbia questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in West Columbia, South Carolina?
17,963, in 8,516 households. West Columbia city covers 9.41 square miles of land, which is 1,908 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is West Columbia in?
Lexington 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 West Columbia?
$56,912. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $201,700. Median gross rent is $1,201 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to West Columbia businesses?
58 7(a) approvals totalling $35.0 m, across 27 lenders, median approval $340,000, plus 18 504 approvals worth $11.3 m. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in West Columbia, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to West Columbia borrowers get paid back?
Of the 13 loans that have reached a final outcome, 12 were paid in full and 1 charged off, a charge off rate of 7.7 percent. Loans still running are excluded because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
Are the county figures on this page West Columbia figures?
No, and they are labelled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Lexington 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 West Columbia.
Is zoning published for West Columbia?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.