Map the Block › Places › North Carolina › Columbus County
Columbus County, North Carolina: crime rate, income and local data
Median household income is $49,442 and the unemployment rate was 4.2% in August 2026. Population: about 50,140 (Census, 2020-2024).
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Columbus County?
We don't show a crime rate for Columbus County: only 21% of residents live where a police agency reported a full year; counts are partial. Reported counts for individual police agencies are on the map's crime layer.
What is the median household income in Columbus County?
Half of households in Columbus County make more than $49,442 and half make less; across North Carolina the midpoint is $72,388. Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $146,000, and the median rent is $824 a month. 22.6% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 12.8%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 4.2% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 826 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Columbus County | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 50,140 | 10,730,404 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $49,442 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $146,000 | $288,900 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $824 | $1,228 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 4.4% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 18.2% | 13.0% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 22.6% | 12.8% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 14.6% | 35.7% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 71.1% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 42.6 | 39.1 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 83.1% | 90.1% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 12.7% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Columbus County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Columbus County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively Moderate”. Among the hazards we show, the highest-rated are hurricanes (Relatively High). 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.
Superfund sites
1 Superfund site is on or proposed for EPA's National Priorities List in Columbus County: Wright Chemical Corporation. A listing means EPA is managing a long-term cleanup; it does not by itself mean anyone is exposed today.
High-hazard dams
Columbus County has 4 dams classed as high hazard in the National Inventory of Dams. None is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory; 2 are rated Satisfactory or Fair. Tallest on the list: South Bay Dike (24 ft) and Holtrachem Stormwater Waste Lagoon Dam (18 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
5 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 1,854,988 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
Columbus County was covered by 4 federal major disaster declarations from 2016 through 2025 (Hurricane 4), not counting COVID-19. Of 15 community water systems, none had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 3 (low). NHTSA counted 18 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 3 pedestrians.
Is there road construction in Columbus County?
On October 11, 2026 the state transportation feed listed 2 highway work zones in Columbus County (all active that day). Where crews are working: US 701 BUS and US 70 BUS. 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 Columbus County?
Federal school lists show 19 public and 3 private schools in the county. 3 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 26 fire or EMS stations and 7 police or sheriff stations. 2 state parks or recreation areas: Lake Waccamaw State Park and Lumber River State Park.
What tribal lands and sacred sites are in Columbus County?
Census tribal areas that reach into Columbus County: Waccamaw Siouan SDTSA.
Tribal areas are Census statistical boundaries, shown for reference; they are not legal boundaries.
See them on the map: tribal lands →
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Columbus County
Gun shops
8 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Columbus County, plus 8 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). 3 of them are pawnshops licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Brown's Outdoor Headquarters (Delco), Dixie Deer Processing (Riegelwood), Mcarthur Supply (Chadbourn), Pawn South/First Cash Pawn (Chadbourn), Pawn South/First Cash Pawn (Tabor City), Pawn South/First Cash Pawn (Whiteville), Waccamaw Outdoors (Lake Waccamaw) and Walmart #1268 (Whiteville).
Liquor stores
5 liquor stores are on the map in Columbus County: Brunswick ABC Store (Brunswick), Lake Waccamaw ABC Store (Lake Waccamaw), Tabor City ABC Store (Tabor City), West Columbus ABC Store (Chadbourn) and Whiteville ABC Store (Whiteville). North Carolina 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 in Columbus County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · 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 crime rate in Columbus County?
We don't show a crime rate for Columbus County: only 21% of residents live where a police agency reported a full year; counts are partial. Reported counts for individual police agencies are on the map's crime layer.
What is the median household income in Columbus County?
$49,442 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $72,388 for North Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Columbus County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 4.2% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 826 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Columbus County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Columbus County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively Moderate”. Among the hazards we show, the highest-rated are hurricanes (Relatively High).
Are there Superfund sites in Columbus County?
1 Superfund site is on or proposed for EPA's National Priorities List in Columbus County: Wright Chemical Corporation.
Is there road construction in Columbus County right now?
On October 11, 2026 the state transportation feed listed 2 highway work zones in Columbus County (all active that day). Where crews are working: US 701 BUS and US 70 BUS.
How many nursing homes are in Columbus County?
3 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Columbus County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bladen County | 29,566 | 3.3 | $42,422 |
| Brunswick County | 152,568 | 1.9 | $77,024 |
| Dillon County, SC | 27,862 | 13.1 | $46,605 |
| Horry County, SC | 383,016 | 3.8 | $66,880 |
| Pender County | 65,550 | 1.7 | $80,396 |
| Robeson County | 116,902 | 12.5 | $41,978 |
More: North Carolina statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- 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). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- 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). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- 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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