HomeSouth CarolinaRichland CountyColumbia
Columbia, South Carolina: commercial real estate data.
Columbia is a Census city of 139,643 people across 138.50 square miles of land, in Richland County. Median household income is $55,529, 45.5 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 298 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $204.4 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Columbia
What Columbia is
- Census place typecity
- Land area138.5 sq mi
- Water area2.86 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land1,008
- County holding the largest share of its areaRichland County, 99.4 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.
Columbia
How many people live in Columbia
- Population139,643
- Median age28.6
- Population under 1823,782
- Share under 1817.0 percent
- Population 65 and over16,083
- Share 65 and over11.5 percent
- Households53,076
- Family households24,882
- Share of households that are families46.9 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Columbia
Income and work in Columbia
- Median household income$55,529
- Per capita income$39,058
- Civilian labor force70,798
- Employed65,501
- Unemployed5,297
- Unemployment rate7.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over79,609
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher91.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher45.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree21.5 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Columbia
Housing in Columbia
- Housing units62,021
- Occupied units53,076
- Vacant units8,945
- Vacancy rate14.4 percent
- Owner occupied24,162
- Renter occupied28,914
- Ownership rate45.5 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$264,300
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,204
- Annual rent as a share of median income26.0 percent
- Single family units34,164
- Share single family55.1 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more27,313
- Share in buildings of two or more44.0 percent
- Mobile homes460 plus or minus 196
- Median year structure built1980
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Columbia
How Columbia gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute61,790
- Commuting under 15 minutes28,051
- Share commuting under 15 minutes45.4 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more10,046
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more16.3 percent
- Drove alone63.0 percent
- Carpooled7.3 percent
- Public transport1.0 percent plus or minus 0.4
- Walked14.3 percent
- Worked from home11.6 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Columbia
SBA loans in Columbia (7(a))
- Approvals298
- Gross approval$204,428,500
- Average approval$686,002
- Median approval$244,050
- Ninetieth percentile approval$2,176,800
- Largest approval$5,000,000
- Jobs supported3,570
- Jobs per approval12.0
- Loans with a final outcome55
- Paid in full48
- Charged off7
- Charge-off rate over resolved loans12.7 percent
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more16.8 percent
- Share to franchises25.8 percent
- Distinct lenders65
- Distinct industries by NAICS125
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Columbia, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Columbia
SBA loans in Columbia (504)
- Approvals42
- Gross approval$44,449,000
- Average approval$1,058,310
- Median approval$606,500
- Largest approval$5,000,000
- Jobs supported597
- Loans with a final outcome13
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs5
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Columbia, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 13 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.
Columbia
Flood risk in Columbia
- NFIP communityCity of Columbia
- NFIP community number450172
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classClass 8
- Currently effective map date07/05/18
The City of Columbia participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 450172 and carries Community Rating System class 8, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Richland County, not Columbia
Richland County context, not Columbia figures
- Establishments in Richland County9,426
- Covered employment, Richland County227,771
- Average annual pay, Richland County$62,784
- Housing units permitted, Richland County3,469
Every figure in this section is published for Richland County as a whole and is not a measurement of Columbia.
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
Columbia questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Columbia, South Carolina?
139,643, in 53,076 households. Columbia city covers 138.50 square miles of land, which is 1,008 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Columbia in?
Richland County, which holds 99.4 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Columbia?
$55,529. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $264,300. Median gross rent is $1,204 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Columbia businesses?
298 7(a) approvals totaling $204.4 m since FY2020, across 65 lenders, median approval $244,050, plus 42 504 approvals worth $44.4 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Columbia, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Columbia borrowers get paid back?
Of the 55 loans that have reached a final outcome, 48 were paid in full and 7 charged off, a charge off rate of 12.7 percent. Loans still running are excluded because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
Is Columbia in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Columbia appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Columbia, city of, community 450172, carrying Community Rating System class 8, which is a premium discount for exceeding the program minimum. 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 Columbia figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Richland 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 Columbia.
Is zoning published for Columbia?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.