Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,946, settled in 1871.
Columbia City’s best subject grade is an A− for civic life; its weakest is a C− for schools. Of the 77 Oregon towns we compare, none has a lower violent crime rate than Columbia City. Columbia City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Columbia City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Columbia City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1959.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Columbia City, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Columbia City.
Its public schools are run by St Helens SD 502. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia City SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 214 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Columbia City for work: only 1% work in town. Columbia City’s average trip to work is 29 minutes, where Oregon’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Since 2013, Columbia City has added 60 jobs, to 138 in 2023.
| Columbia City | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Columbia City has mild winters and pleasant summers. Columbia City’s July high is 80°F, below both Oregon’s towns (82°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The property crime rate in Columbia City is 2.6 per 1,000 residents. Columbia City's reported crime rate is well below Oregon's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Columbia City beats the Oregon average on 3 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 14% of adults binge drink in Columbia City.
| Columbia City | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 72% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Columbia City | OR |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 68.5% | 63.4% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 76.3% | 71.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Columbia City home is worth about $473,000, down 1.6% in a year, close to the Oregon typical home. 90% of Columbia City households own their home.
| Columbia City | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,365 a month | $1,414 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.9 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| Columbia City | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Trestle Beach Recreation Area | 0.3 mi | 6 |
| 2. Jim Bundy Memorial Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
| 3. Ruth Rose Richardson Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Columbia City. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi MountainMount St. Helens
26 mi Stadium & arenaModa Center
27 mi Stadium & arenaProvidence Park
25 mi GardenForest Park
26 mi MuseumPittock Mansion
26 mi Stadium & arenaVeterans Memorial ColiseumMount St. Helens: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain · Moda Center: Lugnuts, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Providence Park: Pdx.rollingthunder, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Forest Park: EncMstr, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pittock Mansion: PittockBack.jpg: Cacophony derivative work: Tiptoety talk, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Veterans Memorial Coliseum: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Columbia City; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Columbia City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oregon.
City in Oregon, United States
Columbia City is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It was named for its location on the Columbia River. As of the 2020 census, Columbia City had a population of 1,949.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Columbia City.
| Town | OR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia City | — | — | C | — | C− | B− |
| St. Helens | #84 | C− | C | C+ | C− | B− |
Columbia City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Columbia City reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Columbia City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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