Columbia Herkimer NY, 2012
Columbia’s story
206 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2012.
- 1820Columbia is settled
ColumbiaNY
5 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Webb_Herkimer_NY.png: Schzmo *derivative work: Liesel · Public domain
Population
1,584
2025 Census estimate · +1% since 2020
Median home value
$188K
Census ACS
Household income
$91K
median
Median age
45.5
years
Jobs based here
52
A commuter town
Is Columbia a good place to live?
The best of Columbia’s subject grades are a B+ for cost of living and history; the weakest is a C for walkability. Columbia’s average trip to work is 34 minutes, above both the New York town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Among 759 New York towns, just 1 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Columbia. On the outdoors, just 104 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Herkimer Forest Preserve Detached Parcel, at 46 acres. Columbia has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
WeakestCWalkability
What makes Columbia stand out
Where Columbia beats most towns.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Columbia for work
Where Columbia’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
52jobs based in Columbia
1%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Columbia grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Columbia is from typical.
Cost of livingTypical home $188K, 2.7 years of the Utica metro’s $70K median household incomeB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 2 of 20; 5.3% of households have no car; 3.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsBehind 63% of New York districts on tests and graduationC+Open →Jobs & income$91K median household incomeB−Open →HealthLittle Falls Hospital 12.8 miles awayB−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 46% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 2% conserved landC−Open →HistoryB+Open →Civic life2.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 78° summer afternoons, 86″ of snow–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 45.5; 23% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Columbia: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Columbia, and how to reach them.
PowerNational Grid19.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet4 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Columbia’s trash rules yet
SchoolsCentral Valley Central School DistrictRichfield Springs Central School DistrictMount Markham Central School District3 districts serve Columbia; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereHerkimer County Board of ElectionsHerkimer County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes13357, 13439, 13407, 1349113357 46% · 13439 25% · 13407 16% · 13491 9%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Columbia.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Columbia’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Columbia for work: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Columbia has added 41 jobs, to 52 in 2023. The top destinations are Utica (9%), New Hartford (8%) and Winfield (7%).
1%work in town
| Columbia | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $91,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Columbia1%
Utica9%
New Hartford8%
Winfield7%
Herkimer6%
17 mi
median commute distance
52
jobs based in Columbia
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Columbia has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Columbia has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 78°F, Columbia’s July high is against 81°F in New York’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
86″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–31°
Spring32–53°
Summer55–76°
Fall39–57°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 5
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Columbia faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Columbia since 1984.
46risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
1
paid flood claims since 1984
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.8%conserved
1.8%
conserved · 395 of 22,324 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Herkimer Forest Preserve Detached Parcel | — | 46 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HealthB−
Health in Columbia trails 52% of U.S. towns
Columbia beats the New York average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 15% of Columbia adults report frequent physical distress.
48%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Columbia | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New York
4 better17 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Columbia | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.4% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 6% |
Little Falls Hospital
12.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 35 attractions →National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and 14 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Columbia. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi MuseumNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum315K visitors a year8 mi LandmarkFort Dayton
28 mi National MonumentFort Stanwix National Monument78K visitors a year
15 mi Stadium & arenaUtica Memorial Auditorium37 mi CaveHowe Caverns
15 mi MuseumMunson-Williams-Proctor Arts InstituteSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Stanwix National Monument: NPS photo, Public domain · Utica Memorial Auditorium: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Columbia
18pages on Columbia
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Columbia
Herkimer County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Herkimer7.4 mi$5,776 in-state tuitionMohawk Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Utica13.4 mi$6,218 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Columbia residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
About Columbia
Town in New York, United States
Columbia is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,569. The town is at the southern border of the county and is southeast of Utica.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 35 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,476 ft
- Area code
- 315
Columbia’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Columbia.
German FlattsLitchfieldWarrenWinfieldRichfieldColumbia
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | B− |
| German Flatts | #346 | B | A− | — | C | B |
| Litchfield | — | — | B | — | B− | B |
| Warren | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B− |
| Winfield | — | — | A | — | B− | B− |
| Richfield | — | — | A− | — | B− | C+ |
Columbia, Litchfield, Warren, Winfield and Richfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Columbia, German Flatts, Litchfield, Warren, Winfield and Richfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Columbia with a neighbor →
Questions about Columbia
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Columbia, NY expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.