Cities / South Carolina / Columbia

Columbia, SC

139,643 people

Right Now

Weather

87.1°F

Clear

Today: Sunny, high 92°F

Air Quality (PM2.5, Columbia)

Moderate

Nearest reporting area, 8.9 mi away. Preliminary and may be revised. Source: EPA AirNow.

Active Weather Alerts

Nearest Major Airport

CLT

84 mi — Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Population & People

Population

139,643

Median age

28.6

Median household income

$55,529

Poverty rate

24.0%

Unemployment rate

6.9%

Bachelor's degree+

45.9%

Avg. commute

16 min

Hispanic or Latino

6.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Housing & Rent

Median home value

$264,300

Median gross rent

$1,204/mo

Homeownership rate

45.52%

HUD FMR — 2 bedroom

$1,276

HUD Fair Market Rent (Richland County, 8 mi from Columbia), 2026. Efficiency $1032, 1BR $1164, 2BR $1276, 3BR $1623, 4BR $1911. This is a different official figure from Census median gross rent above.

Energy

South Carolina commercial electricity

11.05¢/kWh

South Carolina industrial electricity

7.11¢/kWh

South Carolina residential electricity

14.96¢/kWh

Economy

Gross Domestic Product: All Industry Total

378830.6

Real Gross Domestic Product: All Industry Total

286774.3

All-Transactions House Price Index for South Carolina

717.02

Unemployment Rate

4.4%

Source: FRED, South Carolina-specific series.

Nearby Airports

CLT

Charlotte Douglas International Airport

84 mi away

CHS

Charleston International Airport

96 mi away

MYR

Myrtle Beach International Airport

123 mi away

Sources & Data: National Weather Service (weather, alerts), EPA AirNow (air quality), U.S. Census Bureau (population, housing), HUD (Fair Market Rent), U.S. Energy Information Administration (South Carolina energy prices), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (South Carolina economic indicators), OurAirports (airport directory).