• county
  • FIPS 36021
  • Largest town: Hudson

Columbia County, New York

Columbia County had 60,299 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 634.7 square miles of land. It ranks 41st of 62 in New York by population and 35th by land area.

Population
60,299
#41 of 62 in New York · #888 in US
Area
634.7 sq mi
#35 of 62 in New York · #1,505 in US
Density
95 / sq mi
#38 of 62 in New York · #951 in US
Median household income
$73,112
#22 of 62 in New York · #781 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Columbia County within New York. Pin: Albany.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Columbia County

Columbia County population, land area and income

Columbia County had 60,299 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 634.7 square miles of land. It ranks 41st of 62 in New York by population and 35th by land area. That works out to 95.0 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in New York has 85,936 residents; Columbia County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $73,112 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

60,299

3144th1st

888th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

635 sq mi

3144th1st

1505th of 3,144 (US)

Density

95.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

951st of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$73,112

3143rd1st

781st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within New York (62)

Population

60,299

62nd1st

41st of 62 (NY)

Land area

635 sq mi

62nd1st

35th of 62 (NY)

Density

95.0 / sq mi

62nd1st

38th of 62 (NY)

Median household income

$73,112

62nd1st

22nd of 62 (NY)

How Columbia County's population changed since 2020

Columbia County lost 1,120 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.8%. That ranks 47th of 62 in New York for growth. The median New York county changed by -0.8%, and the state as a whole by -1.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Columbia County recorded 1,917 births and 3,146 deaths, a natural change of -1,229. Net international migration added +439 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -468. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 1,229 people.

61.4k202062.0k202161.2k202260.6k202360.3k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,917
Deaths
3,146
Net international migration
+439
Net domestic migration
-468
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-317

Where Columbia County is

The Census internal point of Columbia County is at 42.247700, -73.626700. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades New York's 62 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Columbia County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Tompkins County: +5.8%Yates County: -1.3%Suffolk County: +0.9%Broome County: -0.9%Cortland County: -1.7%Fulton County: -2.0%Ulster County: +0.9%Rockland County: +3.2%Essex County: -1.5%Westchester County: +0.5%Niagara County: -1.2%Dutchess County: +1.4%Seneca County: -2.6%Onondaga County: -0.9%Tioga County: -1.6%Erie County: -0.2%Wayne County: -0.5%Delaware County: -0.1%Greene County: -1.8%Schenectady County: +1.9%Allegany County: -0.1%Rensselaer County: -0.1%Monroe County: -0.7%Warren County: -0.5%Livingston County: -0.1%Madison County: -1.3%Jefferson County: -2.5%Sullivan County: +2.5%Lewis County: +0.0%Oswego County: +0.7%Putnam County: +0.8%New York County: -1.1%Columbia County: -1.8%St. Lawrence County: -2.0%Schuyler County: -4.1%Franklin County: -0.3%Steuben County: -1.4%Cayuga County: -2.1%Oneida County: -1.2%Chemung County: -3.1%Herkimer County: -0.7%Schoharie County: +1.3%Cattaraugus County: -2.0%Chautauqua County: -2.6%Chenango County: -2.8%Hamilton County: +0.2%Orange County: +2.7%Washington County: -2.1%Ontario County: +0.6%Bronx County: -5.1%Wyoming County: -1.5%Clinton County: -2.3%Orleans County: -1.0%Montgomery County: +0.3%Nassau County: +0.1%Kings County: -3.6%Genesee County: -1.2%Otsego County: +3.7%Albany County: +1.9%Queens County: -3.1%Richmond County: +0.6%Saratoga County: +1.9%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.0%
  2. < -1.2%
  3. < -0.2%
  4. < +0.7%
  5. ≥ +0.7%
no data

Orange pin: Columbia County internal point. Dark pin: Albany.

Internal point

Decimal
42.247700, -73.626700
DMS
42°14'51.72"N 73°37'36.12"W
UTM
18N 613292.4E 4678191.6N
Geohash
dre8kdfwt
Plus code
87J869XF+38

Towns in Columbia County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Columbia County, 11,622 people together, or 19% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Columbia County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Hudson with 5,735.

  1. 01Hudson5,735
  2. 02Valatie1,709
  3. 03Chatham1,547
  4. 04Philmont1,483
  5. 05Kinderhook1,148
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Columbia County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Columbia County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Albany County, NY, with 319,964 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Albany and the nearest big city

Albany is 28.8 miles NNW of Columbia County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Albany, NY (population 101,317), 30.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Pittsfield, MA (population 43,121), 23.4 miles away.

Columbia County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Columbia County is 36021: state code 36 for New York plus county code 021. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $73,112.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Columbia County, New York?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 60,299. That is down 1,120 people (1.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 61,419.

What is the FIPS code of Columbia County?

36021. The first two digits (36) are New York; the last three (021) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Columbia County?

Hudson, with 5,735 residents inside Columbia County in 2024.

Which counties border Columbia County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Albany County, NY; Dutchess County, NY; Ulster County, NY; Rensselaer County, NY; Berkshire County, MA; Greene County, NY.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.