Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety10#832/924
Economy52#442/925
Housing37#579/925
Health61#359/925
Healthcare70#281/923
Environment59#379/917
Education77#212/925
Infrastructure60#372/925
Community43#525/925
Leisure & amenities58#389/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Columbia, SC metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Distance to an airport · low15 mi
91/100South Carolina 24 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
New homes permitted · high8.1 /1k
91/100South Carolina 8.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
New business applications · high17.6 /1k
89/100South Carolina 16.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Adult smoking · low12.8%
84/100South Carolina 16.0%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high30.6%
82/100South Carolina 31.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Cost of buying a home today · low26.0%
82/100South Carolina 30.2%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research

Weaknesses

Homicide rate · high9.1 /100k
11/100South Carolina 8.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Rent as share of income · high32.8%
11/100South Carolina 31.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Rent-burdened households · high55.4%
11/100South Carolina 52.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Property crime rate · high1,930 /100k
14/100South Carolina 1,676 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Violent crime rate · high438 /100k
15/100South Carolina 388 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Median Air Quality Index · high47
22/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Trends

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

PopulationRising
830,251 (2020) → 879,918 (2025)
+6%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
9% (2021) → 58% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+49 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
18.3% (2020 & 2021) → 30.0% (2023 & 2024)
+12 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.9% (2015-2019) → 90.4% (2020-2024)
+9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Property crime rateImproving
3,292 /100k (2020) → 1,930 /100k (2025)
−41%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
31.0 /100k (2021) → 19.7 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−36%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k

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, Columbia, SC metro area improved on 16 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 3 moved within the margin of error and 7 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

Grocery stores+12%1.4 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Property crime−41%3,292 /100k → 1,930 /100k
Arts & recreation+14%3.3 /10k → 3.8 /10k
Weekly wage+25%$955 → $1,189
Gyms+9.5%1.0 /10k → 1.1 /10k

Declined6

Rent / income+2.1 points30.7% → 32.8%
Rent burden+4.1 points51.3% → 55.4%
Price / income+0.6×2.8× → 3.4×
Pharmacies−16%2.3 /10k → 1.9 /10k
Commute+0.7 min24.3 min → 25.0 min

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Columbia, SC metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.3 /10k2020	3.8 /10k2025	+14%	Improved	62%
Average commute time	24.3 min2015-2019	25.0 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Declined	39%
Average weekly wage	$9552020	$1,1892025	+25%	Improved	61%
Bachelor's degree or higher	32.7%2015-2019	35.4%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Improved	46%
Broadband subscriptions	80.9%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	+9.5 points	Improved	56%
Child poverty rate	20.2%2015-2019	19.1%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Distance to an airport	15 mi2020	15 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	17%
Drug overdose deaths	28.1 /100k2020	19.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−30%	Improved	57%
Effective property tax rate	0.63%2015-2019	0.55%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	32%
Firearm deaths	19.6 /100k2020	18.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−6.1%	Improved	59%
Grocery stores	1.4 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+12%	Improved	80%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.0 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+9.5%	Improved	58%
High school diploma or higher	89.9%2015-2019	91.4%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Improved	46%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	30%
Homicide rate	10.4 /100k2020	9.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−12%	Improved	33%
Income adjusted for local prices	$51,3282019	$65,6162024	+28%	Improved	21%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4642015-2019	0.4632020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	60%
Median household income	$55,9712015-2019	$68,3592020-2024	+22%	Improved	23%
New business applications	16.4 /1k2020	17.6 /1k2025	+7%	Improved	7%
Pharmacies	2.3 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	−16%	Declined	30%
Poverty rate	15.0%2015-2019	14.5%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Property crime rate	3,292 /100k2020	1,930 /100k2025	−41%	Improved	67%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−0.7%	Little change	58%
Public transit commuters	0.7%2015-2019	0.4%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	47%
Rent as share of income	30.7%2015-2019	32.8%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Declined	20%
Rent-burdened households	51.3%2015-2019	55.4%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Declined	24%
Restaurants and bars	8.3 /10k2020	8.3 /10k2025	−0.5%	Little change	43%
Suicide rate	15.2 /100k2020	16.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+8.3%	Declined	40%
Traffic deaths	17.3 /100k2015-2019	17.9 /100k2020-2024	+3.8%	Little change	55%
Unemployment rate	5.2%2020	4.3%2025	−0.9 points	Little change	4%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.0%2015-2019	10.4%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	60%
Violent crime rate	556 /100k2020	438 /100k2025	−21%	Improved	60%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Columbia, SC metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Columbia, SC metro area 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, Columbia, SC metro area itself moved −3 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

849,181 residents

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

339,601 households (±1,746)

Columbia, SC metro area
United States share

Under $25k17%56,187
$25k–50k20%68,900
$50k–75k17%58,856

Homes

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

Owners and renters

339,601 households (±1,746)

Columbia, SC metro area
United States share

Own69%235,645
Rent31%103,956

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+1.5 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

404,115 workers (±2,859)

Columbia, SC metro area
United States share

Drive alone75%301,549
Carpool8.3%33,726
Public transit0.4%1,504

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Columbia, SC employ 91,520 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Columbia, SC by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers11,640 jobs	11,640	$27,170US $31,200	−13%	1.19×
Retail Salespersons10,860 jobs	10,860	$29,540US $35,410	−17%	1.1×
Customer Service Representatives10,430 jobs	10,430	$37,430US $44,770	−16%	1.59×
Stockers and Order Fillers9,470 jobs	9,470	$37,180US $37,330	0%	1.32×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand9,410 jobs	9,410	$37,530US $40,240	−7%	1.26×
Registered Nurses9,400 jobs	9,400	$81,920US $97,550	−16%	1.1×
Cashiers8,700 jobs	8,700	$27,830US $32,880	−15%	1.11×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides7,740 jobs	7,740	$30,210US $35,800	−16%	0.71×
Office Clerks, General7,260 jobs	7,260	$38,320US $45,010	−15%	1.16×
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive6,610 jobs	6,610	$45,620US $47,540	−4%	1.53×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Columbia, SC.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Columbia, SC has 18,855 employer establishments, 219 for every 10,000 residents (0.88× the US rate of 248), with 314,623 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,158. The Census Bureau also counts 72,530 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 18,855; 72,530 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 219; US 248
Paid employees: 314,623
Average annual pay: $51,158; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	1,433	16.7	0.91×About typical	31,665	$18,991	380
Ambulatory health care services	1,403	16.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	20,569	$72,347	3,136
Specialty trade contractors	1,107	12.9	0.83×About typical	10,480	$60,863	4,503
Lessors of real estate	875	10.2	0.83×About typical	3,196	$61,911	7,023
Religious organizations	713	8.3	1.50×More than typical	5,971	$24,577	—
Limited-service restaurants	676	7.9	0.98×About typical	15,572	$17,295	139
Full-service restaurants	629	7.3	0.95×About typical	13,984	$21,038	156
Services to buildings and dwellings	582	6.8	1.00×About typical	5,599	$33,463	5,176
Legal services	581	6.8	1.26×More than typical	4,189	$89,881	592
Insurance agencies and brokerages	446	5.2	1.18×About typical	2,415	$76,458	1,368
Construction of buildings	428	5	0.66×Fewer than typical	2,683	$79,973	1,757
Building equipment contractors	403	4.7	0.78×Fewer than typical	5,301	$63,033	901

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 859,091 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $833.9M on contracts performed in Columbia, SC metro area: $948 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $833.9M; −29% vs FY2025
Per resident: $948; US $1,994
Sole-source: 15%; US 30%
Single offer: 41%; 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

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$462.7M55%
Department of the Army$154.2M18%
Department of Veterans Affairs$82M9.8%
Defense Logistics Agency$76.8M9.2%
Department of the Navy$17.1M2.1%
Railroad Retirement Board$16.2M1.9%
Office of Procurement Operations$6.2M0.7%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$5.8M0.7%

Top recipients

PALMETTO GBA, LLC$295.5M35%
COMPANION DATA SERVICES LLC$178.2M21%
SOUTH CAROLINA COMMISSION FOR BLIND$53.3M6.4%
US FOODS INC$50.3M6.0%
BOYER COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION INC$19.4M2.3%

Spending by fiscal year

699.4MFY2017
812MFY2018
805.8MFY2019
795MFY2020
928.9MFY2021
769MFY2022
1.1BFY2023
1.1B

Top industries (NAICS)

Insurance carriers · 5241$223.3M27%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$181.8M22%
Special food services · 7223$53.7M6.4%
Other food manufacturing · 3119$51M6.1%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$32.6M3.9%
Facilities support services · 5612$30.6M

Largest awards

JM AB MAC AWARD$988.2M
PALMETTO GBA, LLC· Richland County, SC· Education & social services· Dec 1, 2016 – Sep 29, 2026· HHSM5002015M0028Z
PART A/PART B MEDICARE ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTOR (MAC) JURISDICTION M (JM)$817.9M
PALMETTO GBA, LLC· Richland County, SC· Education & social services· Sep 23, 2022 – Sep 28, 2026· 75FCMC22C0037
CONTINUOUSLY AVAILABLE CMS HOSTING ENVIRONMENT _ INFRASTRUCTURE AS A SERVICE$574.4M
COMPANION DATA SERVICES LLC· Richland County, SC· IT & telecom· Sep 19, 2023 – Sep 11, 2026· 75FCMC23F0002
JJ A/B MAC

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $79.6B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Columbia, SC metro area: $90,421 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $79.6B; −2.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $90,421; US $12,955
Loan face value: $670M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$38.7B49%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$33.2B42%

Counties in Columbia, SC

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

ColumbiaPrincipal city139,643

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in South Carolina

Areas based in South Carolina, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M17900

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Columbia, SC metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Counties in Columbia, SC

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in South Carolina

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved16

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Top programs

What was bought

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

By type

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates