Maryland · 20 census tracts
Columbia.
This Columbia housing market report covers about 43,100 homes across 20 census tracts. It gives investors tract-level context on rent growth, home price growth, property tax and insurance cost assumptions, vacancy, and neighborhood variation. PriceDNA location scores range from 72 to 84, with a median of 77.3. Median household income is $120,522.
- Approximate homes
- 43,100 across 20 assigned tracts
- Renter-occupied
- 35% of occupied homes
Location score distribution
How location scores vary across 20 census tracts in Columbia.
Half of Columbia's tracts score between 75 and 80. The full range spans 72 to 84, with a median of 77.3.
What the location score shows
PriceDNA Location Score™ is a 0–100 signal designed to summarize local strength and risk context for rental-property analysis. Higher scores generally point to stronger location fundamentals.
The distribution matters because a city is rarely one market. The spread across Columbia's census tracts shows why investors should look below the city average before deciding where a property fits.
To see the location score for your specific property, analyze a property
Housing composition
Key housing statistics for approximately 43,100 homes in Columbia, including occupancy, tenure, and structure type.
Of about 43,100 homes, 5.0% are vacant. Among occupied homes, 35% are renter-occupied, providing context on the size of the local rental base.
By structure type, about 65% of Columbia’s housing units are in single-family structures, 2% in small multifamily buildings (2–4 units), and 32% in larger multifamily buildings (5+ units). Percentages are rounded; small residual structure categories are not shown.
How Columbia compares
City medians are useful, but investors need context. This table compares Columbia's local range with Maryland and U.S. medians so you can quickly see where the market looks stronger, weaker, or more expensive than broader benchmarks.
| Metric | Columbia — lower · median · upper Columbia | Maryland MD | United States US |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Census ACS B19013 · 2020–2024
|
$112,204 $120,522 $158,104 | $102,771 | $77,173 |
|
College educated
Census ACS B15003 · 2020–2024
|
63% 68% 74% | 47% | 41% |
|
Renter-age share (21–44)
Census ACS B01001 · 2020–2024
|
31% 34% 38% | 32% | 32% |
|
FHFA HPI · 2025
|
4.0% 4.0% 4.0% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
|
Census ACS B25064 · 2020–2024
|
2.5% 2.8% 3.7% | 3.4% | 4.4% |
|
Property tax rate
Census ACS B25103 · 2020–2024
|
2.43% 2.43% 2.43% | 2.43% | 1.52% |
|
Property insurance rate
Census ACS B25141 · 2020–2024
|
0.27% 0.29% 0.29% | 0.38% | 0.56% |
|
Census ACS B25064 + B19013 · 2020–2024
|
27.7% 28.9% 29.4% | 31.4% | 30.8% |
About this data
PriceDNA uses the most local reliable data available for each metric. Some signals are available at the census-tract level. Others are published or more reliable at broader geographies such as county, metro, state, or national level.
Housing-unit totals are approximate. PriceDNA sums Census ACS counts for the tracts assigned to the city by centroid, so the market total can differ from a municipal boundary count when a tract crosses the city line.
The property-tax assumption combines local residential tax data with a state-level apartment benchmark to provide more conservative context for rental-property underwriting. Insurance assumptions use available residential property insurance data and should be verified for the specific property and coverage.
These pages are designed for market screening and investor education. They do not replace property-level underwriting, inspections, appraisals, insurance quotes, lender review, or professional advice.
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Market context is useful. The real decision happens at the property level.