• county
  • FIPS 55021
  • Largest town: Portage

Columbia County, Wisconsin

Columbia County had 58,113 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 765.6 square miles of land. It ranks 26th of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 34th by land area.

Population
58,113
#26 of 72 in Wisconsin · #913 in US
Area
765.6 sq mi
#34 of 72 in Wisconsin · #1,136 in US
Density
76 / sq mi
#26 of 72 in Wisconsin · #1,117 in US
Median household income
$79,582
#10 of 72 in Wisconsin · #492 in US

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

Columbia County within Wisconsin. Pin: Madison.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Columbia County

Columbia County population, land area and income

Columbia County had 58,113 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 765.6 square miles of land. It ranks 26th of 72 in Wisconsin by population and 34th by land area. That works out to 75.9 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Wisconsin has 41,821 residents; Columbia County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $79,582 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

58,113

3144th1st

913th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

766 sq mi

3144th1st

1136th of 3,144 (US)

Density

75.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

1117th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$79,582

3143rd1st

492nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Wisconsin (72)

Population

58,113

72nd1st

26th of 72 (WI)

Land area

766 sq mi

72nd1st

34th of 72 (WI)

Density

75.9 / sq mi

72nd1st

26th of 72 (WI)

Median household income

$79,582

72nd1st

10th of 72 (WI)

How Columbia County's population changed since 2020

Columbia County lost 407 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.7%. That ranks 67th of 72 in Wisconsin for growth. The median Wisconsin county changed by +1.0%, and the state as a whole by +1.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Columbia County recorded 2,430 births and 2,591 deaths, a natural change of -161. Net international migration added +305 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -552. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 552 people.

58.5k202058.4k202158.3k202257.9k202358.1k2024
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
2,430
Deaths
2,591
Net international migration
+305
Net domestic migration
-552
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+164

Where Columbia County is

The Census internal point of Columbia County is at 43.471900, -89.330500. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Wisconsin's 72 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.

Barron County: +0.2%Green County: +0.4%Dunn County: +1.5%Jefferson County: +0.0%Lincoln County: +0.1%Rusk County: -0.1%Fond du Lac County: +0.1%Marquette County: +1.0%Outagamie County: +2.3%Waupaca County: -1.2%Oneida County: +0.8%Eau Claire County: +2.8%Washington County: +1.4%Portage County: +2.3%Menominee County: +0.7%Clark County: +0.5%Monroe County: +0.2%Milwaukee County: -1.5%Buffalo County: +1.1%Lafayette County: +4.2%Ozaukee County: +2.5%Rock County: +1.0%Sheboygan County: +0.2%Green Lake County: +1.8%Waukesha County: +2.3%Calumet County: +2.1%Dodge County: -0.8%Wood County: -0.3%Winnebago County: +0.9%Sawyer County: +4.0%Dane County: +4.6%Sauk County: +1.1%Pepin County: +2.9%Adams County: +3.2%Price County: +0.4%Taylor County: +1.1%Grant County: +0.7%Trempealeau County: -0.0%Vernon County: +2.1%Waushara County: +2.2%Iowa County: +1.0%Crawford County: -0.5%Kenosha County: -0.3%Shawano County: +1.1%Juneau County: -0.7%Jackson County: -0.3%Vilas County: +3.7%Bayfield County: +3.7%Chippewa County: +1.5%Iron County: +1.5%Racine County: +0.3%Door County: +1.3%Ashland County: +1.1%Kewaunee County: +0.9%Polk County: +1.8%Florence County: +2.4%Douglas County: -0.2%Forest County: +3.7%Columbia County: -0.7%Walworth County: +0.7%La Crosse County: +0.1%Manitowoc County: +0.1%Oconto County: +2.5%Langlade County: +0.4%Marathon County: +0.7%Washburn County: +2.2%Brown County: +1.8%Richland County: -0.9%Marinette County: +1.1%St. Croix County: +4.3%Pierce County: +2.7%Burnett County: +3.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.1%
  2. < +0.7%
  3. < +1.3%
  4. < +2.3%
  5. ≥ +2.3%
no data

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

Internal point

Decimal
43.471900, -89.330500
DMS
43°28'18.84"N 89°19'49.80"W
UTM
16N 311502.1E 4815858.9N
Geohash
dp8rr1zd0
Plus code
86MGFMC9+QQ

Towns in Columbia County

9 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Columbia County, 29,577 people together, or 51% 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 Portage with 9,975.

  1. 01Portage9,975
  2. 02Columbus5,429
  3. 03Lodi3,200
  4. 04Poynette2,834
  5. 05Wisconsin Dells (part)2,453
  6. 06Pardeeville2,258
  7. 07Fall River1,853
  8. 08Rio1,126
  9. 09Randolph (part)449
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Columbia County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Columbia County. The most populous is Dane County, WI, with 588,347 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Madison and the nearest big city

Madison is 27.6 miles S of Columbia County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Madison, WI (population 285,300), 27.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Windsor, WI (population 10,005), 15.8 miles away.

Columbia County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Columbia County is 55021: state code 55 for Wisconsin 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 $79,582.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Columbia County, Wisconsin?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 58,113. That is down 407 people (0.7%) from the July 2020 estimate of 58,520.

What is the FIPS code of Columbia County?

55021. The first two digits (55) are Wisconsin; the last three (021) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Columbia County?

Portage, with 9,975 residents inside Columbia County in 2024.

Which counties border Columbia County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Dane County, WI; Dodge County, WI; Sauk County, WI; Juneau County, WI; Adams County, WI; Green Lake County, WI; Marquette County, WI.

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.