Photo: Dr. Blazer · CC BY-SA 4.0West Columbia draws 13,986 commuters a day, with 2.0 jobs for every working resident
Jobs and income earn West Columbia C+; getting around on foot earns it B+. Employers in West Columbia report 14,558 jobs, against 7,226 working residents. Household incomes here are lower than in 78% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in West Columbia: the gist
A lot of West Columbia works one town over
38% of working residents work in a town that borders West Columbia: Columbia (26%), Cayce (6%) and Lexington (4%). Next door ↓
West Columbia draws workers from far and wide
The 14,558 jobs in West Columbia are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 23%; the other 73% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
West Columbia is where the jobs are
West Columbia has 14,558 jobs, 2.0 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 26,000 people are in town, 40% more than the 18,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Most West Columbia residents work close to home
66% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
Commutes from West Columbia are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 26 across South Carolina. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical South Carolina worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
West Columbia’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Columbia is better than 44% of U.S. towns, #69 of 168 in South Carolina. Job access by car holds West Columbia’s grade up (ahead of 86% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($56,912, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Columbia could be anywhere from C to B.
Where West Columbia’s workforce comes from
Where West Columbia clocks in
26% of workers
6% of workers
4% 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.
West Columbia by day and by night
On a workday 6,654 residents head out to work and 572 work right here.
About 26,000 people are in West Columbia on a workday afternoon, 40% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Half of West Columbia commutes less than 6 miles
About 19% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Getting to work from West Columbia takes about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Columbia workers work from home, vs 12% across South Carolina. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,983 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across South Carolina: 86% 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.
What West Columbia’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Columbia, 2014 → 2024: 12,182 → 14,558. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs West Columbia’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Few in West Columbia walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Columbia is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns, #34 of 169 in South Carolina. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 2.4% across South Carolina.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 8,855 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 78% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 19% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 74% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 12.8% of West Columbia households have no vehicle (South Carolina 5.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of West Columbia’s commuters take a bus or train.
How West Columbia ranks: 1,331st of 1,915 U.S. towns of 13,000 to 25,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Tega Cay SC | 14,457 | $142K | 1.5% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 145 | Five Forks SC | 18,656 | $142K | 2.5% | 3.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 736 | Hanahan SC | 22,415 | $88K | 11.7% | 2.5% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,329 | Auburn IN | 14,068 | $69K | 9.8% | 5.9% | 23% | C+ |
| 1,330 | Alsip IL | 18,483 | $67K | 12.1% | 8.9% | 6% | C+ |
| 1,331 | West Columbia SC | 18,489 | $57K | 13.7% | 4.8% | 8% | C+ |
| 1,332 | Duchouquet Township OH | 14,357 | $69K | 11.6% | 4.3% | 20% | C+ |
| 1,333 | East Ridge TN | 21,921 | $62K | 13.1% | 5.3% | 6% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,915 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of West Columbia, the top three, the last and three more from South Carolina.
West Columbia and its neighbors: 38% work next door
The biggest share goes to Columbia (26%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Columbia workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Columbia | – | C+ | B+ | 20 min | $56,912 |
| Oak Grove | under 2% | B+ | C | 22 min | $74,554 |
| Columbia | 26% | C− | A+ | 18 min | $55,529 |
| Springdale | under 2% | B+ | B+ | 19 min | $77,722 |
| Cayce | 6% | C+ | B− | 20 min | $62,045 |
| Lexington | 4% | B+ | B+ | 25 min | $87,126 |
| Seven Oaks | 2% | C+ | B | 20 min | $62,955 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West 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 2024, 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 West Columbia: questions
What is the median household income in West Columbia?
$56,912 (±$3,782) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $69,324 across South Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Columbia?
13.7%, against 14.1% across South Carolina and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Columbia?
20 minutes each way on average, against 26 across South Carolina and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Columbia work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Columbia (26%, 12 mi), Cayce (6%, 4 mi), Lexington (4%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is West Columbia walkable?
West Columbia is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 12.9 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Columbia without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 13% of households have no car. 19% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Columbia, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Columbia
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.