35 census tracts
Columbia.South Carolina housing market
This Columbia housing market report covers about 48,000 homes across 35 census tracts. The median household income is $49,854, lower than in 128 of the 139 markets PriceDNA tracks, against the South Carolina median of $67,225. For August 2026, the average listing price is $320,409 across 1,126 active listings (Realtor.com Economic Research, Monthly Housing Inventory).
- Average listing price
- $320,409 1,126 active listings · Realtor.com Economic Research, Monthly Housing Inventory · August 2026
- Approximate homes
- 48,000 across 35 assigned tracts
- Renter-occupied
- 51% of occupied homes
Columbia housing market context
- 14.4% of homes are vacant, higher than in 128 of the 139 markets.
- Population grew 1.6% a year from 2020 to 2025, faster than in 124 of the 137 markets with Census population estimates.
- Rent growth in Columbia is 2.6% a year at the median, slower than in 124 of the 139 markets, against the South Carolina median of 3.9%.
These are city-level figures. To see how one property measures up against your goal, run a specific address.
Location score distribution
How location scores vary across 35 census tracts in Columbia.
Half of Columbia's tracts score between 66 and 71. The full range spans 63 to 76, with a median of 68.6.
What the location score shows
PriceDNA Location Score™ is a 0 to 100 signal designed to summarize local strength and risk context for rental-property analysis. Higher scores generally point to stronger location fundamentals.
The middle half of Columbia's tracts is 4.4 points wide on the score, narrower than in 120 of the 139 markets PriceDNA tracks.
To see the location score for your specific property, analyze a property
Housing composition
Key housing statistics for approximately 48,000 homes in Columbia, including occupancy, tenure, and structure type.
Of about 48,000 homes, 14.4% are vacant. Among occupied homes, 51% are renter-occupied, providing context on the size of the local rental base.
By structure type, about 62% of Columbia’s housing units are in single-family structures, 12% in small multifamily buildings (2 to 4 units), and 25% in larger multifamily buildings (5+ units). Percentages are rounded; small residual structure categories are not shown.
How Columbia compares
Columbia's median is above the South Carolina median on 3 of these 8 measures and above the U.S. median on 6. The city range shows the lower quarter, median and upper quarter of its census tracts.
| Metric | Columbia lower · median · upper Columbia | South Carolina SC | United States US |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Census ACS B19013 · 2020 to 2024
|
$39,046 $49,854 $63,284 | $67,225 | $77,171 |
|
Census ACS B15003 · 2020 to 2024
|
35% 51% 65% | 39% | 41% |
|
Census ACS B01001 · 2020 to 2024
|
33% 40% 45% | 30% | 32% |
|
FHFA HPI · 2025
|
6.3% 6.4% 6.4% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
|
HUD SAFMR · 2018 to 2027 + Census ACS B25064 · 2014 to 2024
|
2.2% 2.6% 2.9% | 3.9% | 3.8% |
|
Census ACS B25103 · 2020 to 2024 + Lincoln Institute
|
1.77% every tract | 1.77% | 1.65% |
|
Census ACS B25141 · 2020 to 2024 + U.S. Treasury FIO
|
0.54% 0.61% 0.72% | 0.66% | 0.56% |
|
Census ACS B25064 + B19013 · 2020 to 2024
|
32.3% 35.2% 37.4% | 31.8% | 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.
Nearby markets
Market pages for other cities within 300 miles.
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