Moving to Columbia, Maryland

About Columbia, Maryland
Columbia

Columbia is a planned community in Howard County, Maryland, United States, consisting of 10 self-contained villages. With a population of 104,681 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most-populous community in Maryland, after Baltimore. Columbia, located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area and is tracked by the United States Census Bureau as a census-designated place. Columbia proper consists only of territory governed by the Columbia Association, a not-for-profit management company. The United States Postal Service also uses the name for other communities that predate Columbia, including Simpsonville and Atholton; the Census Bureau also counts part of Clarksville as Columbia.

Developer James Rouse founded Columbia in 1967, aiming to create a community that would avoid the inconveniences of then-current subdivision design; eliminate racial, religious and class segregation; and reduce leapfrog and spot zoning development.

Gender
Gender Columbia Maryland Country
Female 51.6% 51.5% 50.8%
Male 48.4% 48.5% 49.2%
Gender

Household Income


Income Columbia Maryland Country
Less than $10,000 3.8% 4.6% 5.8%
$10,000 to $14,999 2.2% 2.6% 4.1%
$15,000 to $24,999 4.8% 5.6% 8.5%
$25,000 to $34,999 3% 6.1% 8.6%
$35,000 to $49,999 5.2% 9.3% 12.0%
$50,000 to $74,999 10.8% 15.2% 17.2%
$75,000 to $99,999 14.3% 13% 12.8%
$100,000 to $149,999 22.7% 19.3% 15.6%
$150,000 to $199,999 14.8% 10.8% 7.1%
$200,000 or more 18.4% 13.4% 8.3%
Education


Education Columbia Maryland Country
< 9th Grade 3% 3% 5.0%
9-12th Grade 2% 6% 7.0%
High School or GED 13% 24% 27.0%
Other College 15% 19% 20.0%
Associate's Degree 5% 7% 9%
Bachelor's Degree 29% 22% 20.0%
Master's Degree 22% 13% 9.0%
Professional Degree 5% 3% 2.0%
Doctorate Degree 6% 3% 1.0%
Household Income
Education
Race / Ethnicity


Ethnicity Columbia Maryland Country
White 44.5% 50.2% 60.1%
African American 27% 29.4% 12.2%
American Indian 0.3% 0.2% 0.6%
Asian 13.3% 6.3% 5.6%
Hawaiian 0% 0% 0.2%
Other 0.8% 0.4% 0.3%
Multiracial 4.7% 3.3% 2.8%
Hispanic 9.4% 10.3% 18.2%
Race / Ethnicity