Population
879,918
2025
+6.0% since 2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025), 2025. Resident population, July 1 estimate.
Columbia, SC metro growth snapshot
The Columbia, SC metro area had an estimated 879,918 residents in 2025, up 6.0% (49,667 more people) since 2020.
Data as of 2025 · updated
Headline numbers
Net domestic migration
+5,818
2025
6.6 per 1,000 residents
+34,134 in total, 2021–2025
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025), 2025. People moving in from other U.S. counties minus people moving out.
Jobs
397,754
2025
+9.6% since 2020
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025. Average annual employment covered by unemployment insurance.
New homes permitted
6,070
2025
−11.8% since 2021
6.9 per 1,000 residents
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2025. Housing units authorized by building permits in the year.
Private-sector employment
314,623
2023
+5.2% since 2018
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. Paid employees of private employers in mid-March (County Business Patterns).
Metro figures add up the member counties: totals only, so medians, wages and rates are on each county's page.
What the numbers say
Net domestic migration added 5,818 people in 2025: more people moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out.
Employers counted 397,754 jobs in 2025, +9.6% since 2020.
Builders were authorized to start 6,070 new homes in 2025, or 6.9 per 1,000 residents.
Counties in this metro area
- Calhoun County, SCpop +0.5% · jobs −0.2%
- Fairfield County, SCpop −2.6% · jobs +21.1%
- Kershaw County, SCpop +11.6% · jobs +10.6%
- Lexington County, SCpop +7.7% · jobs +12.8%
- Richland County, SCpop +4.6% · jobs +8.1%
- Saluda County, SCpop +4.0% · jobs −9.1%
Fastest-growing metro areas in South Carolina · Fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S.
Questions
Is the Columbia, SC metro area growing?
Yes. Its population grew 6.0% between 2020 and 2025, about 49,667 more people (Census Bureau population estimates).
Which county in the Columbia, SC metro area is growing fastest?
Kershaw County, SC. Its population grew 11.6% between 2020 and 2025, the fastest of the 6 member counties (Census Bureau population estimates).
How many people moved to the Columbia, SC metro area?
On net, about 5,818 people in 2025: that many more moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).
What is the population of the Columbia, SC metro area?
About 879,918 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.
How many jobs are in the Columbia, SC metro area?
Employers there reported 397,754 jobs covered by unemployment insurance in 2025, +9.6% since 2020 (BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages).
See Columbia, SC tract by tract
Beacon CRE maps growth, permits, workforce, flood risk, opportunity zones, listings and recent sales for every county and census tract in the Carolinas, with grades that explain themselves.
Card required, cancel anytime before the trial ends. Prefer an invoice? Request a pilot.
Get the Carolinas CRE Growth Brief
One email a month: the NC and SC counties gaining people, jobs and new homes fastest, with the numbers behind them. Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sources and method
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
- U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns
Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.