ColumbiaSD
A town of 155, settled in 1880.
Is Columbia a good place to live?
Only 1 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Columbia. Columbia has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
155 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Columbia: who provides what
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 Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Columbia.
About half of Columbia’s working residents commute to Aberdeen
Most working residents leave Columbia for work: only 0% work in town. 4.3% of residents live below the poverty line in Columbia, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. The average trip to work in Columbia is 20 minutes.
| Columbia | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Columbia has four seasons and pleasant summers
Columbia has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. At 83°F, Columbia’s July high is below both South Dakota’s towns (85°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Columbia faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Columbia since 2011.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy Columbia is
Columbia beats the South Dakota average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 30% of Columbia adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Columbia | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | Columbia | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 71.4% | 65.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
An age mix much like South Dakota’s
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the South Dakota average. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Dakota.
| Columbia | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 39.2 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 33% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 33% and 65% women
The Census survey reached too few of Columbia’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±16.1 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Columbia | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.8% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 19.9% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.4% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.5% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.6% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.1% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 11.9% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.3% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.3% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.9% | 10% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
Everything we know about Columbia
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Columbia
About 0 of every 100 Columbia residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
100% of working residents leave Columbia for work
Where Columbia’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Columbia
3 notable people were born in Columbia.
About Columbia
City in South Dakota, United States
Columbia is a city on the James River in Brown County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 160 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1885
- Area
- 1.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,302 ft
- ZIP code
- 57433
- Area code
- 605
Questions about Columbia
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Columbia, SD a good place to live?
Columbia has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Columbia, SD known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Dean Buntrock and Kermit Wahl.