Photo: Hmil6 · CC BY-SA 4.0Columbia has lower unemployment (2.6%) than 76% of U.S. towns
About one in five work in Columbia; the top destination outside it is Nashville (18%, 40 miles). Jobs and income earn Columbia B−; getting around on foot earns it B. Working residents average 28 minutes each way; Tennessee averages 26, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Columbia and work: the main findings
Columbia’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Columbia is Nashville, 40 miles away as the crow flies. 18% of working residents (3,420) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Columbia trades workers with the towns around it
Columbia has about as many jobs (20,519) as working residents (19,143), but they are mostly different people: 14,761 residents leave for work each day while 16,137 people come in. Only 21% of the jobs in Columbia are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Columbia draws workers from far and wide
The 20,519 jobs in Columbia are filled from a wide area. Columbia’s own residents hold 21% and the ten next-biggest home towns 19%; the other 60% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Columbia
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Columbia is better than 52% of U.S. towns, #69 of 177 in Tennessee. Unemployment holds Columbia’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (14.2%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Columbia could be anywhere from C+ to B.
Columbia’s commute, mile by mile
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Who leaves Columbia for work, and who comes in
On a workday 14,761 residents head out to work, 4,382 work right here, and 16,137 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.07 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Columbia’s residents
Where Columbia clocks in
11% of workers
6% 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.
The 20,519 jobs based in Columbia
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Columbia, 2013 → 2023: 17,408 → 20,519. 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 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Columbia’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Columbia spends getting to work: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Columbia workers work from home, vs 13% across Tennessee. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 18,954 commuters (the 13% who work from home are left out). Across Tennessee: 87% 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.
The commute in Columbia is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Columbia is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns, #42 of 177 in Tennessee. Both inputs place Columbia near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 21,726 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.0% of Columbia households have no vehicle (Tennessee 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Columbia’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 35,000 to 68,000, Columbia ranks 616th of 904 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 7% | A+ |
| 3 | Oakton VA | 36,528 | $161K | 4.6% | 1.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Brentwood TN | 45,313 | $182K | 3.6% | 2.6% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Germantown TN | 40,001 | $150K | 2.7% | 3.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Spring Hill TN | 61,336 | $112K | 4.3% | 2.1% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 614 | Columbus IN | 52,655 | $77K | 11.3% | 4.7% | 56% | B− |
| 615 | Redmond OR | 38,547 | $84K | 9.6% | 4.5% | 30% | B− |
| 616 | Columbia TN | 50,072 | $64K | 14.2% | 2.6% | 23% | B− |
| 617 | Pennsauken Township NJ | 37,742 | $88K | 13.9% | 8.7% | 10% | B− |
| 618 | East Hartford CT | 50,968 | $71K | 13.2% | 5.4% | 10% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 904 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Columbia, the top three, the last and three more from Tennessee.
Columbia and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Spring Hill (6%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Columbia workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | – | B− | B | 28 min | $63,719 |
| Spring Hill | 6% | A | C+ | 30 min | $112,013 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of 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 2023, 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 Columbia: questions
What is the median household income in Columbia?
$63,719 (±$4,360) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $69,595 across Tennessee and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Columbia?
14.2%, against 13.8% across Tennessee and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Columbia?
28 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Tennessee and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Columbia work?
23% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Nashville (18%, 40 mi), Franklin (11%, 23 mi), Spring Hill (6%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Columbia walkable?
Columbia is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.2 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Columbia without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Columbia, from the people who make the trip.
More of Columbia
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, 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.