County · North Carolina

Columbus County, North Carolina

Columbus County, North Carolina has a quality-of-life score of 8 out of 100 (very low), ranking #2,896 of 3,143 US counties. Within North Carolina it ranks #96 of 100 counties. It ranks best on comfortable days (high), job growth (high) and pharmacies (high). It ranks worst on hospital quality rating (low), injury deaths (high) and premature death (high).

8Very low

Quality-of-life score: #2,896 of 3,143 counties
North Carolina: #96 of 100 in NC
Population: 50,487 (2025)
Land area: 938 mi²
Density: 53.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 37047

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map Federal contracts here

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.

Safety6#2,908/3,096
Economy16#2,642/3,143
Housing24#2,394/3,140
Health14#2,696/3,144
Healthcare17#2,617/3,143
Environment36#1,975/3,108
Education14#2,709/3,144
Infrastructure11#2,794/3,144
Community44#1,750/3,144
Leisure & amenities38#1,952/3,143

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Columbus County, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Comfortable days · high32.4%
94/100North Carolina 30.0%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Job growth · high3.3%
89/100North Carolina 0.8%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Pharmacies · high3.0 /10k
89/100North Carolina 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Grocery stores · high3.0 /10k
83/100North Carolina 1.8 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Suicide rate · low12.8 /100k
82/100North Carolina 14.7 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional data
Distance to an airport · low39 mi
75/100North Carolina 30 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau

Weaknesses

Hospital quality rating · low1.0
2/100North Carolina 3.3United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Injury deaths · high155 /100k
3/100North Carolina 97 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Premature death · high15,738 /100k
5/100North Carolina 9,400 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Life expectancy · low70.2 yrs
6/100North Carolina 76.1 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Natural hazard risk · high89.1
9/100North Carolina 45.12025Federal Emergency Management Agency
Median household income · low$50,741
10/100North Carolina $74,055United States $81,6042024U.S. Census BureauModel-based estimate

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
25% (2021) → 75% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+51 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
0.4 /1k (2021) → 1.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+202%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
66.6% (2015-2019) → 83.1% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
74.0 /100k (2021) → 29.9 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−60%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Firearm deathsImproving
38.0 /100k (2021) → 17.7 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−53%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
26.0 /100k (2021) → 12.6 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−52%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /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, Columbus County, North Carolina improved on 10 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 16 moved within the margin of error and 2 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among counties: 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.

Improved10

Uninsured−4.9 points16.6% → 11.7%
Broadband+16 points66.6% → 83.1%
Rent burden−7.6 points57.3% → 49.8%
Unemployment−4.3 points8.6% → 4.3%
Homicides−58%29.7 /100k → 12.6 /100k

Declined2

Students / teacher+1.3×15.8× → 17.1×
Price / income+0.6×2.4× → 3.0×

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Columbus County, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.6 /10k2020	2.2 /10k2025	+37%	Within the margin of error	86%
Average commute time	27.0 min2015-2019	29.3 min2020-2024	+2.3 min	Within the margin of error	19%
Average weekly wage	$7382020	$9432025	+28%	Improved	74%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.8%2015-2019	14.6%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Broadband subscriptions	66.6%2015-2019	83.1%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	86%
Child poverty rate	32.5%2019	25.6%2024	−6.9 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Distance to an airport	39 mi2020	39 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	51.5 /100k2020	29.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−42%	Improved	67%
Effective property tax rate	0.96%2015-2019	0.73%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	81%
Firearm deaths	31.7 /100k2020	17.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−44%	Within the margin of error	95%
Grocery stores	3.0 /10k2020	3.0 /10k2025	0%	Within the margin of error	54%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.4 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	+50%	Within the margin of error	87%
High school diploma or higher	83.0%2015-2019	86.8%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	30%
Homicide rate	29.7 /100k2020	12.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−58%	Improved	77%
Income adjusted for local prices	$41,6412019	$55,4112024	+33%	Improved	58%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5042015-2019	0.4732020-2024	−0.031	Within the margin of error	89%
Median household income	$39,5312019	$50,7412024	+28%	Improved	68%
New business applications	9.6 /1k2020	14.0 /1k2025	+45%	Improved	52%
Pharmacies	3.0 /10k2020	3.0 /10k2025	0%	Within the margin of error	68%
Poverty rate	22.3%2019	19.3%2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Public libraries	1.3 /10k2019	1.4 /10k2024	+10%	Within the margin of error	90%
Rent as share of income	33.8%2015-2019	29.8%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Rent-burdened households	57.3%2015-2019	49.8%2020-2024	−7.6 points	Improved	85%
Restaurants and bars	6.1 /10k2020	5.7 /10k2025	−6.5%	Within the margin of error	32%
Students per teacher	15.8×2019	17.1×2024	+1.3×	Declined	6%
Suicide rate	13.5 /100k2020	12.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−5.2%	Within the margin of error	68%
Traffic deaths	37.1 /100k2015-2019	39.8 /100k2020-2024	+7.3%	Within the margin of error	46%
Unemployment rate	8.6%2020	4.3%2025	−4.3 points	Improved	87%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	16.6%2019	11.7%2024	−4.9 points	Improved	96%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 1857 counties 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; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; 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 3144 counties 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.

Counties like Columbus County, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Columbus County, North Carolina 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 County, North Carolina itself moved +5.7 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

50,140 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

20,048 households (±392)

Columbus County, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k27%5,497
$25k–50k23%4,573
$50k–75k16%3,110

Homes

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

Owners and renters

20,048 households (±392)

Columbus County, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own71%14,252
Rent29%5,796

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

19,311 workers (±698)

Columbus County, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone83%16,092
Carpool8.9%1,714
Public transit0.0%0

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.

Columbus County has 997 employer establishments, 198 for every 10,000 residents (0.80× the US rate of 248; 0.84× North Carolina's), with 11,658 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,621. The Census Bureau also counts 3,922 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 997; 3,922 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 198; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 11,658
Average annual pay: $42,621; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	91	18.1	0.87×About typical	1,023	$40,587	104
Restaurants and other eating places	80	15.9	0.87×About typical	1,235	$15,586	22
Specialty trade contractors	56	11.1	0.72×Fewer than typical	244	$47,893	353
Limited-service restaurants	50	10	1.24×About typical	919	$14,889	7
Religious organizations	46	9.2	1.65×More than typical	129	$19,535	—
Truck transportation	41	8.2	1.61×More than typical	182	$52,247	158
Lessors of real estate	34	6.8	0.55×Fewer than typical	56	$31,964	262
Construction of buildings	31	6.2	0.82×About typical	175	$57,446	161
General merchandise stores	31	6.2	3.49×More than typical	535	$25,189	21
Full-service restaurants	29	5.8	0.75×Fewer than typical	316	$17,608	12
Gasoline stations	28	5.6	1.72×More than typical	161	$23,497	—
Building equipment contractors	27	5.4	0.89×About typical	127	$49,079	78

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 50,249 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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $69.4K on contracts performed in Columbus County, North Carolina: $1.38 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $69.4K; −88% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.38; US $2,007
Sole-source: 21%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.7%

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$31.6K46%
Defense Information Systems Agency$16.9K24%
Department of the Army$14.8K21%
Department of the Navy$6,1008.8%

Top recipients

CARROLL WOODS INC$54.6K79%
FOUR COUNTY ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION$14K20%
BLADEN COUNTY$8001.2%

Spending by fiscal year

17.7MFY2017
613.5KFY2018
3MFY2019
4.1MFY2020
-2.3MFY2021
6.3MFY2022
5.6MFY2023
175.2KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391$31.6K46%
Other telecommunications · 5179$16.9K24%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$14K20%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$6,1008.8%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$8001.2%

Largest awards

10 GB ETHERNET CARR000015EBM$350.5K
CARROLL WOODS INC· Columbus County, NC· IT & telecom· May 28, 2019 – Apr 28, 2026· HC101319PA585
10 GB ETHERNET CARR000014EBM$275.5K
CARROLL WOODS INC· Columbus County, NC· IT & telecom· May 28, 2019 – May 7, 2026· HC101319PA586
50 MB ETHERNET CARR000017EBM$99.3K
CARROLL WOODS INC· Columbus County, NC· IT & telecom· Jul 25, 2019 – Dec 3, 2025· HC101319PA711
LEAD APRONS$31.6K

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

Explore contracts in Columbus County, North Carolina

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 $410.6M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Columbus County, North Carolina: $8,133 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $410.6M; −7.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,133; US $12,975
Loan face value: $14.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.9%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$214.7M52%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$47.3M12%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$46.3M11%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$25.2M6.1%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$24.9M6.1%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$20.2M4.9%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$4.5M1.1%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$3.9M0.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

TRANSPORTATION NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT$29.9M7.3%
RALEIGH, NC
SOUTHEASTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE$4M1.0%
WHITEVILLE, NC
COUNTY OF COLUMBUS$1.8M0.4%
WHITEVILLE, NC
TORRENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.$843.7K0.2%
KALISPELL, MT
WELLONTON ASSOCIATES NC, LLC$490.1K

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$307.4M75%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$52.3M13%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$29.9M7.3%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency$7.1M1.7%
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education$4M

Assistance by fiscal year

335.7MFY2021
348.2MFY2022
351.9MFY2023
379.3MFY2024
441.8MFY2025
410.6MFY2026

County aggregates

88%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Columbus County, North Carolina

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

How Columbus County, North Carolina compares: the federal money it received per resident, and how jobs, income, housing and other outcomes moved, each next to the United States.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Columbus County, North Carolina
United States
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Columbus County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
FY2017	$317	$1,436
FY2018	$11.00	$1,552
FY2019	$54.23	$1,654
FY2020	$81.66	$1,880
FY2021	-$45.53	$1,810
FY2022	$127	$1,917
FY2023	$111	$2,079
FY2024	$3.48	$2,047
FY2025	$11.47	$2,165
FY2026	$1.38 (partial year)	$1,925
FY2027	$0 (partial year)	—

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Columbus County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
FY2017	$2.63	$93.28
FY2018	$0.18	$105
FY2019	$4.01	$128
FY2020	-$0.99	$145
FY2021	-$0.12	$117

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Columbus County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
FY2021	$170	$5,748
FY2022	$358	$5,221
FY2023	$166	$5,364
FY2024	$347	$5,501
FY2025	$892	$5,732
FY2026

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Columbus County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
FY2021	$50.28	$298
FY2022	$125	$357
FY2023	$9.78	$301
FY2024	$296	$319
FY2025	$829	$360
FY2026

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Columbus County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
FY2021	$119	$239
FY2022	$123	$185
FY2023	$115	$229
FY2024	$127	$229
FY2025	$140	$249
FY2026	$113

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Columbus County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
FY2021	$0	$2,304
FY2022	$0	$2,197
FY2023	$0	$2,274
FY2024	$7.46	$2,267
FY2025	$7.43	$2,397
FY2026

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Columbus County, North Carolina and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
FY2021	$593	$1,186
FY2022	$332	$465
FY2023	$0.25	$76.52
FY2024	$16.30	$120
FY2025	$93.20	$148
FY2026	$38.78

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Columbus County, North Carolina
United States
Years with money loaded

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Columbus County, North Carolina and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
2014	−4.5%	2.0%
2015

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

No jump in federal money met the criteria in the years loaded, so there is no comparison for this place.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/37047

See all comparisons

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 County, North Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

David RouzerR-NC-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 1.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Cities and towns in Columbus County

Places whose residents live mostly in Columbus County, largest first.

Neighboring counties

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar counties

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
National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-09
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
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
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/37047

Calendar years	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
2014	−4.1%	−4.2%
2015	−2.8%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+1.1%	+3.3%
2018	+4.9%	+6.8%
2019	+6.0%	+10.5%
2020	+13.0%	+19.4%
2021	+18.2%	+26.1%
2022	+21.3%	+30.6%
2023	+34.3%	+35.0%
2024	+41.0%	+41.0%
2025	+44.4%	+46.8%

Calendar years	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
2014	−3.3%	−5.5%
2015	−3.3%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.4%	+4.1%
2018	+7.1%	+8.9%
2019	+14.4%	+13.5%
2020	+26.1%	+20.8%
2021	+41.0%	+32.1%
2022	+40.5%	+35.4%
2023	+45.7%	+42.9%
2024	+55.0%	+49.5%

Calendar years	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
2014	0.6/1k	3.3/1k
2015	0.5/1k	3.7/1k
2016	0.6/1k	3.7/1k
2017	1.6/1k	3.9/1k
2018	0.8/1k	4.1/1k
2019	1.0/1k	4.2/1k
2020	1.5/1k	4.4/1k
2021	0.4/1k	5.2/1k
2022	0.7/1k	5.0/1k
2023	0.3/1k	4.5/1k
2024	1.1/1k	4.3/1k
2025	1.1/1k	4.2/1k

Calendar years	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
2014	−2.7%	−6.9%
2015	−2.3%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+6.7%	+4.7%
2018	+4.5%	+7.5%
2019	+12.0%	+14.0%
2020	+15.4%	+16.9%
2021	+16.8%	+21.0%
2022	+28.6%	+29.7%
2023	+44.1%	+34.9%
2024	+43.8%	+41.6%

Calendar years	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
2014	24.3%	15.5%
2015	24.0%	14.7%
2016	24.6%	14.0%
2017	23.1%	13.4%
2018	25.3%	13.1%
2019	22.3%	12.3%
2020	21.3%	11.9%
2021	23.4%	12.8%
2022	20.9%	12.6%
2023	20.1%	12.5%
2024	19.3%	12.1%

Calendar years	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
2014	8.3%	6.2%
2015	7.5%	5.3%
2016	6.8%	4.9%
2017	5.8%	4.4%
2018	5.4%	3.9%
2019	5.2%	3.7%
2020	8.6%	8.1%
2021	6.6%	5.4%
2022	4.5%	3.7%
2023	4.1%	3.6%
2024	4.4%	4.0%
2025	4.3%	4.3%

Calendar years	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
2014	−11.6% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−7.1% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+5.2% (Dec 2017)	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+5.0% (Dec 2018)	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	+8.9% (Dec 2019)	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+24.8% (Dec 2020)	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	+46.5% (Dec 2021)	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+62.4% (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	+72.0% (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	+65.5% (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+66.2% (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
2014	18.2%	13.5%
2015	15.3%	10.9%
2016	14.9%	10.0%
2017	14.8%	10.2%
2018	15.6%	10.4%
2019	16.6%	10.8%
2020	15.9%	10.4%
2021	14.9%	10.2%
2022	13.7%	9.5%
2023	13.3%	9.5%
2024	11.7%	9.8%

Calendar years	Columbus County, North Carolina	United States
2014	4.5/1k	8.5/1k
2015	5.2/1k	8.7/1k
2016	4.7/1k	9.1/1k
2017	5.7/1k	9.8/1k
2018	5.2/1k	10.7/1k
2019	6.6/1k	10.6/1k
2020	9.6/1k	13.1/1k
2021	12.5/1k	16.2/1k
2022	11.8/1k	15.1/1k
2023	12.4/1k	16.2/1k
2024	12.7/1k	15.4/1k
2025	14.0/1k	16.6/1k

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends