Columbia, Pennsylvania demographics

Columbia, PA demographics: median age 41.8; 17.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree. Age, race, households, languages and education, ACS 2020–2024 with margins of error.

ACS 2020–2024 · Columbia borough, Pennsylvania · Incorporated borough · GEOID 4215384. The survey estimates a population of 10,278 for its five-year window. This is separate from the annual July 2025 population estimate on the city overview.

Median age in Columbia is 41.8 years, with a 90% margin of error of 3.2 years. There are 4,568 households (±332). Age and household distributions show how these totals are composed; they do not establish which neighborhood suits a particular person.

Every count and share is an estimate. “±” is a 90% margin of error (MOE); pp means percentage points. Derived shares use the category count divided by the named universe. Aggregated category MOEs and percentage MOEs are approximate. A margin larger than half its estimate is flagged as low precision. Blank source uncertainty is shown as unavailable, never zero.

Age distribution and sex

City, state and U.S. estimates · ACS 2020–2024
Measure / survey universe	City estimate ± MOE	State estimate ± MOE	U.S. estimate ± MOE
Median age Total population · years	41.8 ±3.2	40.9 ±0.2	38.9 ±0.1

Age groups · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 10,278
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
Under 18	1,794 ±317	17.5% ±3.1 pp	20.4%	22.0%
18–34	2,447 ±372	23.8% ±3.6 pp	21.9%	22.8%
35–64	3,711 ±464	36.1% ±4.5 pp	38.1%	38.0%
65 and older	2,326 ±380	22.6% ±3.7 pp	19.5%	17.2%

Sex categories as published by ACS · B01001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 10,278
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
Male	5,612 ±340	54.6% ±3.3 pp	49.3%	49.5%
Female	4,666 ±336	45.4% ±3.3 pp	50.7%	50.5%

The age groups are mutually exclusive and cover the entire population. The sex categories follow this ACS table’s published classification; they are not a survey of gender identity.

Race and Hispanic origin

Race · B02001 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 10,278
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
White alone	7,364 ±578	71.6% ±5.6 pp	74.5%	61.0%
Black or African American alone	978 ±405	9.5% ±3.9 pp	10.6%	12.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone	84 ±106 · low precision	0.8% ±1.0 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.9%
Asian alone	0 ±19 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	3.8%	6.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone	0 ±19 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.0%	0.2%
Some other race alone	835 ±401	8.1% ±3.9 pp	3.7%	7.1%
Two or more races	1,017 ±346	9.9% ±3.4 pp	7.1%	12.6%

Hispanic or Latino origin · B03003 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 10,278
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
Not Hispanic or Latino	7,924 ±616	77.1% ±6.0 pp	91.3%	80.7%
Hispanic or Latino	2,354 ±616	22.9% ±6.0 pp	8.7%	19.3%

Hispanic origin and race are separate questions. People of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race and appear in both tables. Do not add the Hispanic share to race shares. Race alone and two-or-more-race groups are the mutually exclusive categories of the race table.

Household types, children and living alone

Household types · B11001 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 4,568
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
Married-couple family	1,524 ±223	33.4% ±4.2 pp	46.2%	46.9%
Other family: male householder, no spouse present	176 ±74	3.9% ±1.6 pp	4.7%	5.1%
Other family: female householder, no spouse present	739 ±208	16.2% ±4.4 pp	11.5%	12.2%
Nonfamily: householder living alone	1,595 ±393	34.9% ±8.2 pp	30.9%	28.7%
Nonfamily: householder not living alone	534 ±214	11.7% ±4.6 pp	6.7%	7.0%

Households with children · B11005 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 4,568
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
Households with people under 18	1,090 ±174	23.9% ±3.4 pp	27.0%	29.5%
Households without people under 18	3,478 ±429	76.1% ±7.6 pp	73.0%	70.5%

Household size · B11016 · ACS 2020–2024 Households: 4,568
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
One-person nonfamily households	1,595 ±393	34.9% ±8.2 pp	30.9%	28.7%
Two-person households	1,642 ±304	35.9% ±6.1 pp	34.7%	33.8%
Three-person households	573 ±157	12.5% ±3.3 pp	14.9%	15.3%
Four-person households	490 ±127	10.7% ±2.7 pp	11.7%	12.6%
Five-person households	115 ±73 · low precision	2.5% ±1.6 pp · low precision	5.0%	5.9%
Six-person households	57 ±56 · low precision	1.2% ±1.2 pp · low precision	1.7%	2.2%
Seven or more people	96 ±76 · low precision	2.1% ±1.7 pp · low precision	1.1%	1.4%

A family household contains related people under the Census definition. A nonfamily household can contain one person or unrelated people sharing a home. Households with children can also appear in the household-type and size tables, so those tables must not be added together. Household estimates exclude people living in group quarters from the household universe.

Nativity and languages spoken at home

Nativity · B05002 · ACS 2020–2024 Total population: 10,278
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
Native	9,929 ±208	96.6% ±2.0 pp	92.3%	85.9%
Foreign born	349 ±211 · low precision	3.4% ±2.1 pp · low precision	7.7%	14.1%

Language spoken at home · C16001 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 5 and older: 9,738
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
English only	8,571 ±427	88.0% ±4.1 pp	87.6%	77.7%
Spanish	1,078 ±456	11.1% ±4.7 pp	5.6%	13.6%
French, Haitian, or Cajun	11 ±18 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.5%	0.7%
German or other West Germanic	9 ±15 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.9%	0.5%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic	14 ±19 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.8%	0.7%
Other Indo-European	13 ±21 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	1.7%	2.0%
Korean	6 ±10 · low precision	0.1% ±0.1 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.3%
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese	0 ±19 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.8%	1.1%
Vietnamese	10 ±16 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.3%	0.5%
Tagalog, including Filipino	0 ±19 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.2%	0.6%
Other Asian and Pacific Island	0 ±19 · low precision	0.0% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.7%	1.1%
Arabic	14 ±24 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.4%	0.5%
Other and unspecified	12 ±23 · low precision	0.1% ±0.2 pp · low precision	0.5%	0.8%

Foreign born means not a U.S. citizen at birth; it includes naturalized citizens. Language categories describe speech at home among people age five and older. A language other than English at home does not establish that someone cannot speak English. This city page uses the published C16001 summary categories because the more detailed B16001 table does not provide these city records in this release.

Educational attainment

Highest completed education · B15003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 25 and older: 7,639
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
Less than high school graduate	1,344 ±432	17.6% ±5.6 pp	7.9%	10.4%
High school graduate or equivalency	3,324 ±466	43.5% ±5.7 pp	32.9%	26.0%
Some college, no degree	1,008 ±231	13.2% ±2.9 pp	15.1%	19.1%
Associate’s degree	637 ±189	8.3% ±2.4 pp	8.9%	8.8%
Bachelor’s degree	916 ±209	12.0% ±2.7 pp	20.9%	21.6%
Graduate or professional degree	410 ±141	5.4% ±1.8 pp	14.3%	14.1%

The denominator excludes residents under 25. Each person is counted in the highest attainment category they completed. This table does not measure the quality of local schools or the education level of every current student.

Residence one year earlier

Geographic mobility · B07003 · ACS 2020–2024 Population age 1 and older: 10,018
Category	Count ± MOE	Share ± MOE (pp)	Pennsylvania	U.S.
Same house	9,131 ±288	91.1% ±2.5 pp	89.3%	87.7%
Moved within same county	550 ±239	5.5% ±2.4 pp	5.6%	6.3%
Moved from a different county in the same state	180 ±90	1.8% ±0.9 pp	2.6%	3.1%
Moved from a different state	62 ±77 · low precision	0.6% ±0.8 pp · low precision	1.9%	2.3%
Moved from abroad	95 ±81 · low precision	0.9% ±0.8 pp · low precision	0.4%	0.6%

These are respondents’ residence patterns one year before their survey response, pooled across the five-year window. They are not a net migration count for 2025. A person can move to a different house within the same city or county; moves within the same county should not automatically be interpreted as new arrivals to the city.

Health insurance, internet access and veterans

5.3% of Columbia residents (±2.1 percentage points) had no health insurance coverage when surveyed, compared with 5.6% in Pennsylvania and 8.4% nationally. 83.6% of households subscribe to broadband of any type, including cellular data plans. A subscription is not the same as available service: the FCC National Broadband Map shows providers at a specific address.

City, state and U.S. shares · ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Columbia	Pennsylvania	U.S.	Compared with Pennsylvania
People without health insurance Civilian noninstitutionalized population	5.3% ±2.1 pp	5.6%	8.4%	Not statistically different
Households with a broadband subscription Households	83.6% ±3.7 pp	89.7%	91.0%	Lower
Veterans Civilian population age 18 and older	8.4% ±2.7 pp	6.1%	6.2%	Not statistically different

Reading and reusing the estimates

The Census table links above lead to the original detailed tables. Counts, source universes and uncertainty are retained in the source observation download for Columbia . Compare these figures with the same survey window; do not compare one city’s five-year estimate with another city’s annual estimate as though they measured the same period. For methods, see uncertainty and denominator calculations.

Read Columbia housing and cost context or return to the city profile.