Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Columbia grades D overall, 144th among Tennessee's 175 graded towns, mostly because of schools and safety. Its public schools trail 85% of Tennessee towns on state tests and graduation. It reports more crime per resident than 84% of U.S. towns, including 189 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 34 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include James K. Polk House and Clifton Place. 23% of working residents work locally in Columbia, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 8%. Columbia is home to Columbia State Community College.
Where Columbia beats most towns.
James K. Polk House| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Columbia State Community College | 3,956 |
Sterling Marlin
James K. Polk House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 33 National Register listings are more than in 96% of Tennessee towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,747 in 1840, a low of 1,747 in 1840, 41,690 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1830 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), 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 trades workers with Nashville and other neighbors and looks healthier within Tennessee than nationally, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Its public schools are run by the Maury County school district. Three of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitthorne Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 951 | C− |
| Columbia Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,401 | C |
| J E Woodard ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 581 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 1,352 to 940 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Columbia’s violent crime rate is 3.7 per 1,000 residents. Columbia reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less. Columbia’s property crime rate is 14.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Columbia | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.8 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Tennessee it is healthier than 57% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
Columbia tracks Tennessee closely on all 31 CDC measures. 40% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Columbia.
| Columbia | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 29% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 12% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Columbia has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Columbia is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Columbia has about as many jobs (20,519) as working residents, but only 4,382 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Columbia’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Columbia grew to 20,519 in 2023, 3,111 more than in 2013. 14% of Columbia residents live below the poverty line.
| Columbia | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 13% | 9.5% | 11% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Columbia home is worth about $369,000, up 0.9% in a year, 12% above the Tennessee typical home.
| Columbia | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,197 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Columbia has grown 20% since 2020, to 50,072 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Tennessee.
| Columbia | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.5 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 26% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 23% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.5 points). Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.8, men 34.2.
| Columbia | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.5% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.6% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.5% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.7% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.6% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.8% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.1% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.1% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.6% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.7% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
104 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 13 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 104 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Columbia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.0 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Maury County Park, at 190 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Woodland Park | 0.3 mi | 55 |
| 2. Maury County Park | — | 190 |
| 3. Ridley Sports Complex | — | 68 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Columbia
About 3 of every 100 Columbia residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
34,681 counted in 2010 and 41,690 in 2020; an estimated 50,072 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 20.3% since 2020, after 20.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
33 places in Columbia on the National Register of Historic Places.
35 notable people were born in Columbia.
City in Tennessee, United States
Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 48,885 as of the City of Columbia's 2024 Special Census conducted by the US Census Bureau. Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area. The self-proclaimed "mule capital of the world," Columbia celebrates the city-designated Mule Day each April. Columbia and Maury County are acknowledged as the "Antebellum Homes Capital of Tennessee"; the county has more antebellum houses than any other county in the state. The city is home to one of the last two surviving residences of James Knox Polk, the 11th President of the United States; the other is the White House.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Columbia.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | #144 | D | B− | C− | C− | C− |
| Spring Hill | #6 | A− | C− | B+ | A+ | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Columbia grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #144 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades C− for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($85,447 across the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro 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−.
35 notable people were born here, including Sterling Marlin and Henry Cooper.
