Map the Block › Places › Maryland › Columbia
Columbia, Maryland by the numbers
Median household income is $131,490 and the median home value is $497,400. About 104,338 people live in Columbia.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income by neighborhood · home values · schools
What is the crime rate in Columbia?
Columbia is an unincorporated community (a Census-designated place), so it has no city police department of its own; crime here is reported by county agencies and counted on the county page.
How does Columbia compare with Maryland?
Columbia's median household earns $131,490 a year, 27% higher than the state figure ($103,678). The median owner-occupied home is worth $497,400 by owners' estimates, and half of renters pay more than $2,042 a month. About 104,338 people live on 32 square miles of land, roughly 3,267 per square mile. The city lies in Howard County.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Columbia | Maryland | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 104,338 | 6,206,011 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $131,490 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $497,400 | $419,900 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $2,042 | $1,705 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 4.2% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 7.5% | 9.4% | 12.5% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 63.6% | 43.4% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 64.8% | 67.6% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 39.4 | 39.4 | 38.9 |
What environmental sites and hazards are in Columbia?
The National Inventory of Dams lists 3 high-hazard dams in Columbia. None is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory; 3 are rated Satisfactory or Fair. Tallest on the list: Columbia Gateway Dam (36 ft) and Lake Elkhorn (26 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Howard County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively Low”. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Is there road construction in Columbia?
On October 11, 2026 the state transportation feed listed 2 highway work zones in Columbia city limits (all active that day). Listed roads include US29 and US 29. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in or near Columbia?
Inside the city limits there are 30 public schools (2024-25) and 12 private schools (2023-24). 2 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes are in the city. Within about 15 miles: Park Service units in the area: Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Greenbelt Park and National Capital Parks. 3 state parks or recreation areas: Matthew Henson State Park, Patapsco Valley State Park and Patuxent River State Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Columbia
Gun shops
No gun shops with a public storefront are on the map inside the Columbia city limits. There are 3 licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown).
Liquor stores
19 liquor stores are on the map inside the Columbia city limits: 108 Deli Wine & Spirits, A+ Liquors, Absolutely Wine Or Spirits, Columbia Fine Wine and Spirits, Columbia Palace Wine & Spirits (Columbia), CT Wine and Spirits (Columbia), Decanter Fine Wines (Columbia), Dobbin Square Liquors (Columbia) and 11 more. Maryland has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center inside the Columbia city limits on the map.
See them on the map: liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the median household income in Columbia?
$131,490 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024), compared with $103,678 for Maryland.
How much do homes cost in Columbia?
The median value of owner-occupied homes is $497,400 (Census ACS 2020-2024), against $419,900 statewide.
What natural hazards affect Columbia?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Howard County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively Low”. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here.
Nearby cities
Ellicott City, MD (5 mi) · Severn, MD (10 mi) · Glen Burnie, MD (14 mi) · Aspen Hill, MD (14 mi) · Baltimore, MD (15 mi) · Wheaton, MD (15 mi)
More: Maryland statewide numbers · county page: Howard County · Sex-offender registry search (NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, agency counts 2021-2025 (Return A); state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables, for the Census place Columbia CDP.
- Land area: Census 2024 Gazetteer. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores (county level).
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026).
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026).
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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