Columbia, MS
Census place 2815340 · pop 6,632
Sales & income are statewide.
The breakdown — worst first
U.S. median 26.5% · worse than most cities
41.6% of adults · Adults with no leisure-time physical activity.
U.S. median 14.6% · worse than most cities
23.1% of adults · Share of adults who currently smoke.
U.S. median $67,857 · worse than most cities
$38,507 median household income · Median household income — a proxy for local economic health.
U.S. median 36.5% · worse than most cities
46.1% of adults · Share of adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 30).
U.S. median 24.3% · worse than most cities
14.8% have a bachelor's degree or higher · Share of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
U.S. median 90.0% · worse than most cities
83.8% of homes have broadband · Share of households with a broadband internet subscription.
U.S. median 12.1% · worse than most cities
24.5% live in poverty · Share of residents living below the federal poverty line.
U.S. median 9.3% · worse than most cities
15.2% of adults · Adults 18–64 without health insurance.
U.S. median 17.4% · worse than most cities
19.0% of adults · Adults reporting frequent poor mental health (14+ days a month).
U.S. median 3.6% · worse than most cities
4.0% unemployment · Share of the labor force out of work. Published by county, not city — every city in the county shares this figure.
U.S. median 67.2% · worse than most cities
63.4% own their home · Share of occupied homes that are owner-occupied.
U.S. median 0.99% · better than most cities
0.97% of home value paid in property tax · Median real-estate taxes paid as a share of home value.
U.S. median 0.43 · better than most cities
Gini 0.43 (0 = equal, 1 = unequal) · Gini index of household income (0 = equal, 1 = unequal).
U.S. median 77/100 · better than most cities
82/100 FEMA risk (higher = riskier) · FEMA National Risk Index — wildfire, flood, earthquake, heat and more. Published by county, not city — every city in the county shares this figure.
U.S. median 24 min · better than most cities
20 min average one-way commute · Average one-way commute to work, in minutes.
U.S. median +2.4% · better than most cities
+10.7% population change (5yr) · 5-year population change — are people moving in, or fleeing?
U.S. median $214,900 · better than most cities
$131,700 median home value · Median home value — how expensive it is to buy in. Higher = less affordable.
U.S. median 152/100k · better than most cities
0 violent crimes per 100k · Violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) per 100,000 residents.
U.S. median 964/100k · better than most cities
0 property crimes per 100k · Burglary, theft, motor-vehicle theft and arson per 100,000 residents.
Not measured for Columbia: Air, Bad air, Rent. Not every public source covers every city — EPA air monitors and Zillow rent only reach some places, and national crime data is still being added.
Frequently asked
- Is Columbia, MS a good place to live?
- By the numbers, Columbia scores 46/100 — a D− (Rough) on Shcity, which ranks U.S. cities on public data across 19 metrics like crime, cost, jobs and health. Its strongest area is property crime rate and its weakest is physical inactivity. Mississippi overall ranks #27 of 50 states. Whether it's "good" depends on what you value — re-weight the factors to score it your way.
- How safe is Columbia, MS?
- Columbia reports 0 violent crimes per 100k and 0 property crimes per 100k — better than most U.S. cities on violent crime.
- Is Columbia, MS expensive to live in?
- Columbia has a median home value of $131,700 — more affordable than most U.S. cities.
- What's the biggest downside of living in Columbia, MS?
- Its weakest measured area is physical inactivity (41.6%) — 1/100, worse than most U.S. cities.
- What is Columbia, MS best at?
- Its strongest measured area is property crime rate (0/100k) — 97/100, better than most U.S. cities.
Sources: U.S. Census (ACS), CDC PLACES, FBI Crime Data Explorer, BLS, EPA AirData, FEMA National Risk Index, and Zillow.