Census-designated place · Lowndes County, Mississippi

Columbus AFB, Mississippi

Columbus AFB is a census-designated place in Lowndes County, Mississippi, part of the Columbus, MS metro area. It has 1,293 residents. Columbus AFB, Mississippi has a quality-of-life score of 37 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,936 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Mississippi it ranks #16 of 194 cities and towns. It ranks best on frequent mental distress (low), rent as share of income (low) and bachelor's degree or higher (high). It ranks worst on primary care shortage (high), food environment index (low) and child poverty rate (high).

37Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,936 of 15,651 cities and towns
Mississippi: #16 of 194 in MS
Population: 1,293 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 845.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 2815420

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety22#12,215/15,637
Economy65#5,445/15,631
Housing—
Health54#7,127/15,609
Healthcare51#7,658/15,650
Environment27#11,268/15,453
Education69#4,885/15,649
Infrastructure32#10,589/15,650
Community14#13,390/15,651
Leisure & amenities51#7,745/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Columbus AFB, Mississippi ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lowndes County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Frequent mental distress · low13.5%
97/100Mississippi 19.1%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Rent as share of income · low23.1%
97/100Mississippi 30.7%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Bachelor's degree or higher · high72.3%
97/100Mississippi 25.1%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Average commute time · low12.0 min
97/100Mississippi 25.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Pharmacies · high2.8 /10k
94/100Mississippi 2.2 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLowndes County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.1 /10k
92/100Mississippi 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLowndes County value

Weaknesses

Primary care shortage · high21.0
1/100Mississippi 16.2United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLowndes County value
Food environment index · low6.2
5/100Mississippi 4.1United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLowndes County value
Child poverty rate · high0.0%
6/100Mississippi 25.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Access to exercise opportunities · low47.2%
9/100Mississippi 58.2%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLowndes County value
Distance to an airport · high95 mi
11/100Mississippi 60 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLowndes County value
Dental care shortage · high17.0
12/100Mississippi 14.0United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLowndes County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
1,667 (2015-2019) → 1,293 (2020-2024)
−22%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
53.7% (2015-2019) → 72.3% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Average commute timeWorsening
7.6 min (2015-2019) → 12.0 min (2020-2024)
+58%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Unemployment rateImproving
11.4% (2015-2019) → 1.9% (2020-2024)
−9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
5.6% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.301 (2015-2019) → 0.361 (2020-2024)
+20%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Columbus AFB, Mississippi improved on 1 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Bachelor's++19 points53.7% → 72.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Columbus AFB, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	7.6 min2015-2019	12.0 min2020-2024	+4.4 min	Within the margin of error	12%
Bachelor's degree or higher	53.7%2015-2019	72.3%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	99%
Broadband subscriptions	100.0%2015-2019	98.4%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	5%
High school diploma or higher	97.0%2015-2019	100.0%2020-2024	+3 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3012015-2019	0.3612020-2024	+0.060	Within the margin of error	13%
Median household income	$61,1882015-2019	$69,5392020-2024	+14%	Within the margin of error	21%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	24.1%2015-2019	23.1%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Rent-burdened households	31.7%2015-2019	27.8%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	69%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Columbus AFB, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Columbus AFB, Mississippi in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Columbus AFB, Mississippi itself moved −1.2 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,293 residents (±254)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

485 households (±99)

Columbus AFB, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k11%†51
$25k–50k21%†103
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

485 households (±99)

Columbus AFB, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own0.0%0
Rent100%485

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

814 workers (±169)

Columbus AFB, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone80%650
Carpool7.4%†60
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Columbus, MS

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Lowndes County, the county holding most of Columbus AFB's residents.

Lowndes County has 1,440 employer establishments, 251 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248; 1.22× Mississippi's), with 20,572 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,256. The Census Bureau also counts 5,085 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,440; 5,085 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 251; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 20,572
Average annual pay: $55,256; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Lowndes County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	131	22.8	1.10×About typical	1,281	$64,510	287
Restaurants and other eating places	106	18.5	1.01×About typical	2,080	$17,291	37
Specialty trade contractors	70	12.2	0.79×Fewer than typical	802	$86,257	418
Religious organizations	63	11	1.98×More than typical	465	$19,299	—
Lessors of real estate	53	9.2	0.75×Fewer than typical	117	$41,991	417
Limited-service restaurants	52	9.1	1.13×About typical	1,058	$15,877	10
Offices of other health practitioners	43	7.5	1.23×About typical	288	$48,667	54
Full-service restaurants	38	6.6	0.86×About typical	909	$19,442	18
Gasoline stations	37	6.5	1.99×More than typical	257	$29,296	4
Offices of physicians	37	6.5	1.00×About typical	453	$89,662	40
Automotive repair and maintenance	36	6.3	1.25×About typical	180	$47,994	110
Health and personal care stores	35	6.1	2.30×More than typical	272	$35,401	84

Rank places for an industry Open Lowndes County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 57,342 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $158.8K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Columbus AFB, Mississippi: $123 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $158.8K; −64% vs FY2025
Per resident: $123; US $1,994
Sole-source: 12%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$134.8K85%
Department of the Air Force$20.9K13%
Department of the Army$2,1261.3%
Defense Health Agency$9730.6%
Defense Commissary Agency$85.160.1%

Top recipients

COLUMBUS MARBLE WORKS, INC.$134.8K85%
TRAINING, REHABILITATION, & DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE, INC.$19.1K12%
HI-TECH AIR & WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEMS, LLC$4,1532.6%
FRANCONIA REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC.$1,6221.0%
QUIDELORTHO SALES COMPANY, LLC$9730.6%

Spending by fiscal year

343.9KFY2017
235.9KFY2018
77.2KFY2019
6.4KFY2020
276KFY2021
115KFY2022
63.2KFY2023
119.8KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing · 3279$134.8K85%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$19.1K12%
Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration equipment manufacturing · 3334$4,1532.6%
Offices of real estate agents and brokers · 5312$1,6221.0%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$9730.6%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Columbus AFB, Mississippi, so they do not add up across cities.

Columbus AFB, Mississippi's figures are part of those of Lowndes County, MS ($156.7M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Columbus AFB is mostly in Lowndes County.

See federal money in Lowndes County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Columbus AFB, Mississippi is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Trent KellyR-MS-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Lowndes County28100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Columbus, MS19

Other cities and towns in Lowndes County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2815420

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends