Columbia is a relatively large city located in the state of South Carolina. With a population of 144,788 people and 85 associated neighborhoods, Columbia is the second largest community in South Carolina. Columbia has seen a significant amount of newer housing growth in recent years. Quite often, new home construction is the result of new residents moving in who are middle class or wealthier, attracted by jobs, a healthy local economy, or other amenities as they leave nearby or far away areas for greener pastures. This seems to be the case in Columbia, where the median household income is $55,529.00.

Columbia is home to a number of people employed in the armed forces. When you visit or walk around Columbia, some of the people you will bump into will be military people In and out of uniform, jogging, shopping and generally out and about town.

Also of interest is that Columbia has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 11.62% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Columbia is a nice balance between life in a moderately big city and the interesting diversions and culture that come from having a big college student population. The thousands of students who arrive on campus every fall will find that Columbia has plenty of amenities and opportunities for them, while residents of Columbia enjoy the lectures, music, art, and economic trickle-down that colleges typically provide. "Town and Gown" complement each other in Columbia.

Not only is Columbia a city with many college students, but it also retains many recent graduates who are looking to start new careers, shaping the character of the city into a place that is geared toward, and considered attractive to, many single, educated people. Many singles consider Columbia a good place to live without being in a really big city, with opportunities for friendships and fun with others like themselves.

Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 19.21 minutes getting to work every day.

The education level of Columbia ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Columbia, 45.90% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.

The per capita income in Columbia in 2022 was $39,058, which is upper middle income relative to South Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $156,232 for a family of four. However, Columbia contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Columbia is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Columbia home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Columbia residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Columbia include German, English, Irish, Italian, and Scots-Irish.

The most common language spoken in Columbia is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.