Map the Block › Places › New York › Columbia County
Columbia County, New York: crime rate, income and local data
Columbia County averaged 0.53 reported violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year in 2021-2025, 86% lower than the New York rate (3.8). Median household income is $81,528 and the unemployment rate was 3.4% in August 2026. Population: about 61,100 (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 Columbia County?
Police agencies in Columbia County reported an average of 33 violent crimes and 411 property crimes a year from 2021 to 2025. That is 0.53 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 86% lower than the New York rate (3.8), and 86% lower than the U.S. rate (3.7). Property crime ran at 6.6 per 1,000, against 15.7 statewide. Most violent crimes here are aggravated assaults (73%).
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Columbia County | Per 1,000 | New York per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 33 | 0.53 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 0 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 4 | 0.06 | 0.26 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 6 | 0.10 | 1.0 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 24 | 0.39 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 411 | 6.6 | 15.7 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 40 | 0.65 | 1.4 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 360 | 5.8 | 12.9 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 10 | 0.16 | 1.4 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (6 agencies; 100% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Columbia County?
The median household in Columbia County earns $81,528 a year, close to the New York median ($85,974). Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $347,100, and the median rent is $1,260 a month. 9.7% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 15.6%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.4% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,063 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Columbia County | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 61,100 | 19,852,366 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $81,528 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $347,100 | $423,800 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,260 | $1,621 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 5.4% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 12.1% | 14.0% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 9.7% | 15.6% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 39.4% | 40.2% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 76.3% | 54.3% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 49.8 | 39.8 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 89.7% | 90.8% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 3.4% | 5.1% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Columbia County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Columbia County as “Relatively Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”. 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
EPA lists no Superfund site in Columbia County, active or completed (October 2026).
High-hazard dams
Columbia County has 2 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: Churchtown Dam (37 ft) and Summit Street Lake Dam (28 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
1 facility in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 674 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
Columbia County was covered by 1 federal major disaster declaration from 2016 through 2025 (Snowstorm 1), not counting COVID-19. Of 50 community water systems, 2 had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 1 (highest). NHTSA counted 5 traffic deaths in the county in 2024.
Is there road construction in Columbia County?
Columbia County had 5 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (4 active that day). Listed roads include NY 22, NY 295 and NY 9J. 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 Columbia County?
Columbia County has 17 public schools (2024-25) and 2 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 4 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 41 fire or EMS stations and 8 police or sheriff stations. National Park Service sites here: Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. 3 state parks or recreation areas: Hudson River Islands State Park, Lake Taghkanic State Park and Taconic State Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Columbia County
Gun shops
4 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Columbia County, plus 8 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). On the ATF list: A Collectors Eye LLC (Hudson), Meissner's Auction Service & Antique Center LLC (New Lebanon), Walmart #2097 (Hudson) and Zero Tolerance Manufacturing INC (Ghent).
Liquor stores
18 liquor stores are on the map in Columbia County: 66 Fine Wine & Liquor (Greenport), Aviator Wine & Liquor (Hudson), Bmp Wine & Liquor (Chatham), Claverack Package Store INC (Claverack), Copake Wine Works (Copake), Drink Chatham INC. (Chatham), East Chatham Wines And Spirits (East Chatham), Fairview Wine & Spirits INC (Hudson) and 10 more.
Planned Parenthood
One Planned Parenthood health center is on the map in Columbia County: Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood Hudson Health Center (Hudson).
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores · Planned Parenthood →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Columbia County?
Columbia County averaged 33 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 0.53 per 1,000 residents, 86% lower than the New York rate (3.8). The property-crime rate was 6.6 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Columbia County?
$81,528 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $85,974 for New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Columbia County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.4% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 1,063 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Columbia County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Columbia County as “Relatively Low”. No single hazard among floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat waves, earthquakes and hurricanes is rated higher than “Relatively Moderate”.
Is there road construction in Columbia County right now?
Columbia County had 5 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (4 active that day). Listed roads include NY 22, NY 295 and NY 9J.
How many nursing homes are in Columbia County?
4 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Columbia County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany County | 317,018 | 3.7 | $85,333 |
| Berkshire County, MA | 129,430 | 4.2 | $76,013 |
| Dutchess County | 298,220 | 1.2 | $99,478 |
| Greene County | 47,409 | 0.44 | $77,945 |
| Rensselaer County | 160,332 | 2.0 | $87,915 |
| Ulster County | 182,601 | 0.78 | $86,271 |
More: New York 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.
Home · Open the map · All places · About the data · Privacy · Terms