South Carolina · Census place 4516000
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is a city in 2 counties of South Carolina with an estimated 144,788 residents on July 1, 2024. It is the 2nd largest of 152 incorporated places of 1,000+ people in the state.
- Population 2024
- 144,788
- #2 of 152 in South Carolina
- Change since 2020
- +6.3%
- +8,581 people
- Land area
- 138.5 sq mi
- + 2.86 sq mi water
- Density
- 1,045 / sq mi
- State median 1,356
Measure from here
Tools and pages that start from Columbia
Columbia population, 2020 to 2024
Columbia added 8,581 residents from July 2020 to July 2024, a change of +6.3%. In the latest year it moved by +2,615. Among 66 South Carolina places of 5,000 or more, that growth ranks 28th; the median place changed by +4.9%. The median place of 5,000+ in South Carolina has 14,078 people, so Columbia is 10.3 times that size.
Columbia covers 138.50 square miles of land and 2.86 of water, for 1,045 people per square mile of land. The median South Carolina place of 5,000+ has 1,356, so Columbia is less dense than the typical town.
The 2 counties Columbia spans
Columbia crosses county lines. The Census county-part estimates split its 144,788 residents as follows; Richland County holds 99.6% of them. The shaded shapes are on the map above; dots mark the eight nearest places.
- 01Richland County144,151
- 02Lexington County637
ZIP codes in Columbia
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) overlap Columbia by at least 10% of the ZCTA's or the city's land: 29201, 29203, 29204, 29205, 29206, 29207, 29208, 29209, 29210, 29212, 29225. ZCTAs are Census approximations of USPS ZIP code delivery areas. The list comes from the 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file, so a city that annexed land after 2020 may reach into ZIP codes not listed here.
Where Columbia is
The Census internal point of Columbia is at 34.040500, -80.906100. Columbia, the capital, is 7.9 miles WSW in a straight line. The nearest larger place is Charlotte, NC (943,476 people), 80.8 miles away. The ground at the internal point is about 96 m (315 ft) above sea level.
Internal point
- Decimal
- 34.040500, -80.906100
- DMS
- 34°02'25.80"N 80°54'21.96"W
- UTM
- 17N 508667.3E 3766650.5N
- Geohash
- dnn3wuvur
- Plus code
- 866X23RV+6H
- Time zone
- America/New_York
Daylight in Columbia
At 34.04° N, Columbia gets about 14 h 26 min of daylight around the June solstice and 9 h 53 min around the December solstice, a swing of 4 h 32 min. Figures are sunrise to sunset from the SunCalc model for June 21 and December 21, 2026. Month-by-month sunrise and sunset times are on the Columbia daylight page.
Places near Columbia
The eight nearest incorporated places of 1,000+ in South Carolina, measured between internal points. The closest is Forest Acres, 3.9 miles away, with 10,438 people.
Questions people ask
What is the population of Columbia, SC?
144,788 on July 1, 2024, in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates. That is up 8,581 (6.3%) from 136,207 in July 2020.
What county is Columbia in?
It spans 2 counties: Richland County (144,151 residents), Lexington County (637 residents).
What ZIP codes cover Columbia?
11 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas overlap it by at least 10% of either area: 29201, 29203, 29204, 29205, 29206, 29207, 29208, 29209, 29210, 29212, 29225.
How far is Columbia from Columbia?
7.9 miles (12.7 km) in a straight line, heading WSW from Columbia.
What is the nearest larger city to Columbia?
Charlotte, NC, with 943,476 residents, 80.8 miles away between internal points.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates (July 1, 2024), 2024 Gazetteer places, 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file.
- 01Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
- 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
- 03Census 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file
- 04Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)
- 05Open-Meteo forecast API (time zone and Copernicus GLO-90 elevation) (last verified 2026-09-30)
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.