City profile · Pennsylvania · Census ACS 2023

New Columbus, PA

New Columbus's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

273
Residents
$36,071
Median income
$176,100
Median home
$1,225
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for New Columbus.

Place dossier plate

Sheet PA-NEW-COLUMBUS-PA · New Columbus, PA 273 pop · income 5th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-LOW · COL-PAR · SAFE-UNK · RANK-BOTTOM · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 273
  • INC-LOW $36,071
  • COL-PAR 97.6
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-BOTTOM 5th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Wheatland
  • HOME-LOW $176,100
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Wheatland, IA (+ $0 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around New Columbus

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest New Columbus on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for New Columbus on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 273.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $36,071. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

New Columbus - the verdict

New Columbus ranks in the 5th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.

5th
percentile, household income
35th
percentile, home value
54th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: New Columbus, PA

New Columbus is a small town in Pennsylvania, home to 273 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $36,071 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 23.1%. Typical homes in New Columbus are valued around $176,100, and the median resident age is 52.8 years. About 12.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 49.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Pennsylvania tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Pennsylvania at 97.6 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,225 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Pennsylvania run around $260, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 67.4 out of 100 (Moderate).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of New Columbus's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to population change to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For New Columbus, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, annual population history. No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Housing and income

How far does income reach against housing in New Columbus?

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 23.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 2

Is New Columbus growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +5 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.3% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.

See the national growth ranking →

Question 3

What does the journey to work look like in New Columbus?

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 58.3%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.

Compare commute patterns →

4. Comparison shortlist

Which cities make useful reference points for New Columbus?

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Within Pennsylvania, the closest population matches are Foxburg (272 residents, $72,500 income); Unionville (272 residents, $59,500 income); Alsace Manor (275 residents, $48,693 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Akiak, AK (273 residents); Central, AZ (273 residents); Patterson, AR (273 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Population

273 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$36,071 /yr

Lowest-decile income · poverty 23.1% (Highest-decile poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

97.6 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Pennsylvania average

City profile score · New Columbus, PA

17/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Cost of living C-
97.6 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Bachelor's+ share F
12.9%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Poverty rate F
23.1%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Household income F
$36,071

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

New Columbus profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Bachelor's+ share, Poverty rate, Household income. Cost of livingBachelor's+ sharePoverty rateHousehold income 17 F
New Columbus profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 50/100 (C-) · 97.6 index
  • Bachelor's+ share: 14/100 (F) · 12.9%
  • Poverty rate: 8/100 (F) · 23.1%
  • Household income: 1/100 (F) · $36,071

How does New Columbus compare to other US cities?

Here's how New Columbus stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 5% higher than other cities
Home value 35% pricier than other cities
Median rent 54% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares New Columbus against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Pennsylvania only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Pennsylvania-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places New Columbus near the bottom of Pennsylvania's cities

Among the 1,865 Pennsylvania cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, New Columbus ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares New Columbus only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#1,724 of 1,765
2nd percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,865
0th percentile in Pennsylvania
Median Home Value
#827 of 1,790
54th percentile in Pennsylvania
Poverty Rate
#116 of 1,856
94th percentile in Pennsylvania
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#1,475 of 1,861
20th percentile in Pennsylvania
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Pennsylvania only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

5thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

5th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How New Columbus's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$176,100 Among the most affordable more affordable than 65% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). This entry sits in this band. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. New Columbus $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

New Columbus's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.9×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#12,684 of 15,516
More affordable than 18% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,630 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 4.9×, New Columbus sits in the moderate band: national rank #12,684 of 15,516 and #9,630 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$36,071 New Columbus, PA median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - New Columbus, PA New Columbus, PA's median household income ($36,071) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not New Columbus, PA-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution New Columbus, PA median $36,071/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
New Columbus, PA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for New Columbus, PA.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 12.9%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 23.1%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 49.6%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
273
Median Income
$36,071
Median Home Value
$176,100
Median Age
52.8
Poverty Rate
23.1%
Labor force participation
49.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
12.9%

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
216 residents218 residents220 residents222 residents224 residents 202020212022202320242025 218 residents 223 residents ▲ +2.3%
New Columbus's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 218 residents
2021 218 residents
2022 220 residents
2023 221 residents
2024 223 residents
2025 223 residents

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
58.3%
Carpool
1.7%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
4.3%
Work from Home
35.7%

Based on 115 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Pennsylvania statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $260

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Pennsylvania at $260 (electricity about $120 , water and sewer about $52 ).

These are Pennsylvania statewide averages, not a meter reading for New Columbus. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Pennsylvania's BEA cost-of-living index is 97.6 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around New Columbus is $1,225/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Pennsylvania statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 67.4 / 100 (Moderate).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Pennsylvania statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county New Columbus sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How New Columbus compares to similar-size Pennsylvania cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
New Columbus (this city) 273 $36,071
Foxburg 272 $72,500
Unionville 272 $59,500
Alsace Manor 275 $48,693
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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