Columbia is a very small city located in the state of Kentucky. With a population of 4,880 people and seven associated neighborhoods, Columbia is the 89th largest community in Kentucky.Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Columbia is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Columbia is a city of professionals, sales and office workers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Columbia who work in healthcare (11.49%), office and administrative support (10.51%), and sales jobs (9.78%). One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 16.02% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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 small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped Columbia to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local economy. Overall, Columbia’s crime rate is one of the lowest in the nation, which makes a great place to live if safety is an important concern. Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Columbia spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 17.93 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be. Columbia is a small city, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.The education level of Columbia citizens, measured as those with bachelor's degrees or advanced degrees, is similar to the national average for all American cities and towns. 19.38% of adults 25 and older in Columbia have a college degree. The per capita income in Columbia in 2022 was $25,563, which is middle income relative to Kentucky, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $102,252 for a family of four. However, Columbia contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. 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 English, German, Irish, European, and Scots-Irish. The most common language spoken in Columbia is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Polish.
