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GreatPlacesToRetire |
Retire To Columbia, SC
City Report
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Columbia, South Carolina is one of the great places in the U.S. for that retirement or second home. Find city facts on home sales prices, air quality, water quality, medical care, cost of living, weather and other demographics. | |
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Read the city profile and recent blog posts from local real estate experts. The EPA map shows superfund cleanups in the area and the interactive map provides a birds-eye view of the city. Links in the data below provide a list of cities similar to Columbia in that certain data category. Check back often for home price updates. 
The state Capitol building in Columbia, South Carolina
© iStockPhoto.com/BergmannD |
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Columbia, South Carolina
| Population | |||
| . | 1990 | 2000 | 2007 |
| Columbia Metro Area | blank | 536,691 | blank |
| Columbia | 98,052 | 116,278 | 124,818 |
| Columbia Home Sales Prices (new & existing homes) |
||||
| . | Average | Annual Average | Yr-Over-Yr Change | |
| 2010 | . | $158,559 | -1.5% | |
| Jun | $161,037 | . | . | |
| May | $151,700 | . | . | |
| Apr | $164,916 | . | . | |
| Mar | $161,368 | . | . | |
| Feb | $150,492 | . | . | |
| Jan | $163,491 | . | . | |
| 2009 | . | $160,978 | -9.4% | |
| 2008 | . | $177,733 | -3.8% | |
| 2007 | . | $184,757 | 1.9% | |
| 2006 | . | $181,370 | 10.4% | |
| 2005 | . | $164,225 | 5.9% | |
Local  Resources: | ||||
| Cost of Living (2010) | |
| 85% | GPTR 99 City Average 127% |
| Home Sales Price Comparison (2010) |
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| . | . | GPTR 99 City Avg |
| Near Large City | Charlotte | na |
| Home Sales Price in Charlotte | $171,000 | $213,000 |
| Home Sales Price Bargain Index | 93% of Charlotte home prices | 155% |
| Columbia Distance to Nearest Large City (pop. > 200,000) |
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| 93 miles | to Charlotte | GPTR 99 City Average 97 miles |
| Air Quality |
||||
| . | Good Days | Moderate Days | Unhealthy for Sensitive Persons Days | Unhealthy Days |
| 2008 | 234 | 124 | 8 | 0 |
| 2007 | 188 | 164 | 12 | 1 |
| 2006 | 183 | 179 | 2 | 1 |
| 2005 | 174 | 179 | 12 | 0 |
| Columbia Water Quality |
|||
| . | % Good | % Threatened | % Impaired |
| 2006 | na | na | na |
| 2004 | na | na | na |
| 2002 | 37 | 0 | 63 |
| Taxes (2009-2010) |
|||||
| blank | Tax Rate | Days Worked to Pay | State Rank | Tax Rate (99 City Avg) |
Days Worked to Pay (99 City Avg) |
| State and Local Sales Tax | 7.0% | -- | 16* | 6.8% | -- |
| Federal, State and Local Tax | -- | 93 days | 40* | -- | 99 days |
| * State rank of 1 pays the highest taxes | |||||
| Columbia Recreation |
||
| . | # of Parks | # of Parks (99 City Avg) |
| National Parks, Historic Sites, etc. (managed by National Park Service) |
Congaree National Park, Cowpens National Battlefield plus 3 more | 7 |
| National Campgrounds, Lodges, etc. (other federal agency-managed sites) |
21 | 26 |
| State Parks, Sites, etc. | 7 | 11 |
| Crime Report (crimes per 10,000 population) |
|||
| . | Total Crimes | Violent Crimes | Property Crimes |
| 2008 | 630 | 86 | 544 |
| 2007 | 706 | 128 | 578 |
| 2006 | 696 | 108 | 588 |
| 2005 | 763 | 111 | 652 |
| Columbia Climate (1971-2000) |
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| . | . | 99 City Avg | January - Avg Low Temp | 37 F | 27 F |
| January - Avg Daily Temp | 47 F | 37 F |
| July - Avg Daily Temp | 84 F | 74 F |
| July - Avg High Temp | 95 F | 86 F |
| Avg Annual Precipitation | 47 in | 35 in |
| Elevation | |
| 242 feet | GPTR 99 City Average 1,660 feet |
| Columbia Natural Hazards |
||
| . | Risk Level | 99 City Average |
| Total Hazard Risk | Higher | Moderate |
| Earthquake | 1% | .6% |
| Tsunami | No Risk | No Risk |
| Hurricane | 20-40 | 0 |
| Flood | Moderate | Very High |
| Tornado | Low | Low |
| Volcano | No Risk | No Risk |
| Wildfire | High | Low |
| Demographics (2006) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Avg |
| White | 51.0% | 83.3% |
| Black | 42.0% | 6.9% |
| Native American | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Asian | 3.6% | 3.2% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other | 1.3% | 3.3% |
| Multiple Races | 1.8% | 2.4% |
| Hispanic (of any race) | 4.8% | 8.7% |
| Columbia Median Age (2006) |
|
| 34 years | GPTR 99 City Average 36 years |
| Family Income & Housing (2006) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Average |
| Total Housing Units | 48,676 | 26,131 |
| Occupied Housing Units | 88% | 86% |
| Vacant Housing Units (seasonal or recreational use) | 12% | 14% |
| Home Ownership Rate | 46% | 54% |
| Median Family Income | $47,811 | $55,423 |
| Average Family Size | 2.84 | 2.91 |
| Columbia Medical Care (2009) |
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| Hospital/Medical Center | City | Distance from City | Accredited - Dept. of HHS, AOA or JCAHO | GPTR 99 City Average |
| Palmetto Health Baptist | Columbia | In the city | Yes | 4 accredited hospitals within 10 miles of city |
| Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals | Columbia | In the city | Yes | |
| Palmetto Health Richland | Columbia | In the city | Yes | |
| 7 more hospital(s) can be viewed at the Medical Care page. | ||||
| Population Density (2007) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Avg |
| Land Area (sq mi) | 125 | 31 |
| People Per Square Mile | 999 | 2,035 |
| Columbia Building Permits (single family homes) |
||
| 2009 | 265 | |
| 2008 | 434 | |
| 2007 | 700 | |
| 2006 | 667 | |
| 2005 | 597 | |
| Heating and Cooling Degree Days (avg annual) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Avg |
| Total Degree Days | 4,519 | 5,926 |
| HDD | 2,044 | 4,677 |
| CDD | 2,475 | 1,249 |
(Columbia Area)
Legend: Small green circles (older style maps) or multi-colored circles (newer style maps: click here for legend) indicate 1)Superfund Sites 2)Federal Facilities 3)RCRA Corrective Action Sites and 4)Brownfields Properties (EPA hazardous material cleanup sites defined at Environment link)
to pan. Use Pegman for a StreetView.)
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