Jobs and earnings in Columbia, and the trip to work
Only 4% stay in Columbia for work; outside it, Harrington is the main destination (13%, 7 miles). Working from home is the commute for 9% of workers (Maine 16%). The trip to work takes 31 minutes on average, next to 25 for Maine and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
How a workday changes Columbia
On a workday 154 residents head out to work, 7 work right here, and 103 people come in from elsewhere.
About 380 people are in Columbia on a workday afternoon, 12% fewer than live here.
0.68 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting out of Columbia: the destinations
Where Columbia clocks in
13% of workers
9% of workers
7% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Inside Columbia’s 110 jobs
110 jobs are based in Columbia.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Columbia, 2013 → 2023: 75 → 110. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Columbia’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 31 minutes in Columbia
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Columbia workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 202 commuters (the 9% who work from home are left out). Across Maine: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Columbia’s workers travel
About 27% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Columbia and its neighbors: 26% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Columbia workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | – | — | — | 31 min | $56,667 |
| Columbia Falls | 7% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Cherryfield | 6% | D− | B | 30 min | $37,115 |
| Harrington | 13% | — | — | 20 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Columbia Falls and Harrington: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Harrington. Darker towns draw more of Columbia’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Columbia: questions
What is the median household income in Columbia?
$56,667 (±$15,387) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Columbia?
13.4%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Columbia?
31 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Columbia work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Harrington (13%, 7 mi), Addison (9%, 12 mi), Machias (7%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Columbia without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Columbia, from the people who make the trip.
More of Columbia
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.