Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Overall it grades C−, 57th among Mississippi's 99 graded towns. Its schools outperform 94% of the state's. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $39K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. 37% of working residents work locally in Columbia, against 19% in Mississippi’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Columbia has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them U.S. Post Office and Keys Hill Historic District. Only 7 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher July high than Columbia.
Where Columbia beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 66 in 1870, 5,864 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Columbia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Columbia, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Columbia.
Columbia has schools in the top 5% of Mississippi and draws workers from Hattiesburg and beyond, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
51% of Columbia adults have high blood pressure. Columbia beats the Mississippi average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 33% of Columbia adults worry about having enough food.
| Columbia | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 45% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 24% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 27% | 19% |
| What stands out | Columbia | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.1% | 18.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.5% | 11.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 32.6% | 22.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A ranks #5 of the 101 Mississippi towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Columbia School District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Columbia High School, with 484 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 448 | – |
| Columbia High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 484 | B |
| Columbia Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 378 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
6,058 jobs are based in Columbia, 3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Columbia’s working residents works in town. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Columbia. Since 2013, Columbia has added 378 jobs, to 6,058 in 2023.
| Columbia | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Columbia home is worth about $133,000, up 3.3% in a year, 32% below the Mississippi typical home. Columbia’s median rent is $806 a month.
| Columbia | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $806 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
298 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 50 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 298 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Columbia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Columbia has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Columbia is 38°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Columbia's reported crime rate is well above Mississippi's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 12 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Columbia | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 27.6 per 1,000 residents | 16.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Columbia | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Friendship Park | 0.5 mi | 7 |
| 2. Duckworth Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Marion County Farmers Market | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Columbia; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Columbia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
Where Columbia’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
10 places in Columbia on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Mississippi, United States
Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Mississippi, United States. Formed six years before Mississippi was admitted to statehood, Columbia was named for Columbia, South Carolina, from which many of the early settlers had migrated. The population was 5,864 as of the 2020 census, down from 6,582 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Columbia grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #57 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D− for health and A for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($45,110 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
