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Bremo PlantationBremo Plantation · Photo: Historic American Buildings Survey · Public domain
–Not graded–Not graded
Jobs & commute in Columbia

Earning a living in Columbia

The Census job records count 33 working residents of Columbia and no jobs based in it. Hardly any work in Columbia itself; outside it, Charlottesville draws the most (12%, 26 miles).

Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made

Day and night

The daily flow of workers through Columbia

On a workday 33 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 0 people come in from elsewhere.

33live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
0work here, live elsewhere
Job hub or commuter town?
0.00jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

0.00 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

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 commute map

Out of Columbia to work: where people go

Eastover: 1 residents work here (3%)Lexington: 1 residents work here (3%)Charlottesville: 4 residents work here (12%)Manassas: 1 residents work here (3%)Staunton: 2 residents work here (6%)Newport News: 1 residents work here (3%)ColumbiaRio: 1 residents work here (3%)Palmyra: 2 residents work here (6%)Pantops: 3 residents work here (9%)Lake Monticello: 2 residents work here (6%)CharlottesvillePantopsStauntonPalmyraLake MonticelloEastoverColumbia
1
Charlottesville26.3 mi away
12%4
2
Pantops24.6 mi away
9%3
3
Staunton56.4 mi away
6%2
4
Palmyra9.3 mi away
6%2
5
Lake Monticello14.7 mi away
6%2
6
Eastover, SC303 mi away
3%1
7
Lexington70 mi away
3%1
8
Manassas77.9 mi away
3%1
9
Newport News101.6 mi away
3%1
10
Rio28.2 mi away
3%1
Everywhere elseother towns and states
45%15
The top trips

Where Columbia clocks in

Lines 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.

How far

The commute from Columbia, by distance

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miCharlottesville: 12% · 26.3 miPantops: 9% · 24.6 miStaunton: 6% · 56.4 miPalmyra: 6% · 9.3 miLake Monticello: 6% · 14.7 miEastover: 3% · 303 miLexington: 3% · 70 miManassas: 3% · 77.9 miNewport News: 3% · 101.6 miRio: 3% · 28.2 miCharlottesville 12%Pantops 9%Palmyra 6%Lake Monticello 6%Columbia
ColumbiaTop destinations (size = commuters)
12%Under 10 mi4 residents
24%10–24 mi8 residents
30%25–50 mi10 residents
33%Over 50 mi11 residents

About 33% 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 2023.

Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

How to read these numbers

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.

How these figures and grades are made →

Jobs and commuting in Columbia: questions

Where do people who live in Columbia work?

0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Charlottesville (12%, 26 mi), Pantops (9%, 25 mi), Staunton (6%, 56 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Commuter talk

Getting to work from Columbia, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Columbia

Columbia home →

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.