County · North Carolina

Columbus County, North Carolina

Columbus County, North Carolina. Columbus County had 50,487 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.3% since 2020, while North Carolina grew 7.2%. It holds 14 places (10 cities, villages and boroughs and 4 census-designated) and 15 census tracts. GEOID 37047.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

50,487

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 50,623 · ACS 2020-2024: 50,140

Median household income

$49,442

±$4,924 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $72,388

Median home value

$146,000

±$11,896 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $288,900

Median gross rent

$824

±$40 (90% margin)
North Carolina: $1,228

How many people live in Columbus County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 50,623 residents in Columbus County. The Census Bureau estimates 50,487 for July 1, 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, while North Carolina grew 7.2%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 50,140 over 938 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −466 (50,021)
2021→2022 +16 (50,037)
2022→2023 +212 (50,249)
2023→2024 +52 (50,301)
2024→2025 +186 (50,487)

Columbus County in North Carolina. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Columbus County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	50,140	10,730,404	−5,928
Households	20,048±392	4,282,345	−1,532
Average household size	2.39±0.05	2.44	no clear change
Housing units	23,563±60	4,895,668	−2,769

Columbus County's population since 2000

From 54,749 in 2000 to 50,487 in 2025: down 7.8%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 54,749
2005 (estimate) 55,155
2010 Census 58,098
2015 (estimate) 56,698
2020 Census 50,623
2025 (estimate) 50,487

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Columbus County?

Columbus County holds 14 places: 10 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 4 census-designated places. The largest is Whiteville with 4,765 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Columbus County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Whiteville	city	4,766	4,696±24	$31,167	$187,500	20.7%	100%
Tabor City	town	3,781	3,777±18	$38,714	$115,900	32.9%	100%
Chadbourn	town	1,574	1,352±387	$45,787	$135,400	30.6%	100%
Lake Waccamaw	town	1,296	1,770±224	$72,500	$305,900	9.3%	100%
Brunswick	town	973	937±184	$22,500	$82,500	64.5%	100%
Fair Bluff	town	709	695±234	$31,389	$101,400	28.3%	100%
RiegelwoodGEOID 3756600	CDP	545	649±213	$49,583	$200,300	11.2%	100%
BoltonGEOID 3706860	town	519	504±241	$48,450	$146,700	24.6%	100%
SandyfieldGEOID 3759135	town	430	763±336	$41,667	$69,100	29.6%	100%
HallsboroGEOID 3729000	CDP	382	291±259	not published	$133,100	60.8%	100%
EvergreenGEOID 3722080	CDP	336	421±238	not published	not published	34.4%	100%
DelcoGEOID 3716780	CDP	287	258±213	$86,721	not published	0.0%	100%
BoardmanGEOID 3706660	town	166	210±141	$59,750	not published	17.1%	100%
Cerro GordoGEOID 3711620	town	131	319±196	not published	$189,900	25.1%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Columbus County?

The median resident of Columbus County is 42.6 years old; 20.6% are under 18 and 20.7% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 58.6%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 28.0%. 3.3% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Columbus County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	42.6±0.5	39.1	+0.7
Under 18 years	20.6%±0.1 pts	21.8%	–
65 years and over	20.7%±0.2 pts	17.2%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5.6%	11.3%	+0.3 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	58.6%±0.3 pts	60.0%	−0.7 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	28.0%±0.7 pts	20.0%	−2.0 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.2 pts	3.3%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	3.1%±0.2 pts	0.8%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	3.9%±0.8 pts	4.1%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	3.3%±0.5 pts	9.1%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	5.9%±0.6 pts	13.5%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.7%±1.0 pts	7.4%	–
With a disability	17.5%±1.2 pts	13.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	12.7%±1.8 pts	9.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	86.8%±1.3 pts	90.1%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	14.6%±1.6 pts	35.7%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	4.9%±0.9 pts	13.5%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.2%±0.3 pts	3.0%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Columbus County earn?

Half of Columbus County's 20,048 households earn less than $49,442 a year (±$4,924), against $72,388 in North Carolina. In 2015-2019 it was $46,309 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 18.2% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Columbus County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$49,442±$4,924	$72,388	no clear change
Mean household income	$67,260±$3,398	$101,208	–
Per capita income	$27,773±$1,307	$41,385	no clear change
People below the poverty line	18.2%±2.2 pts	13.0%	−4.6 pts
Children under 18 below the poverty line	23.6%±4.4 pts	17.7%	−10.9 pts
Households receiving SNAP	22.6%±2.2 pts	12.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	83.1%±1.7 pts	90.1%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Columbus County?

Owners occupy 71.1% of Columbus County's occupied homes and renters 28.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $146,000 by its owner (±$11,896). The median renter pays $824 a month including utilities, and 39.6% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Columbus County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$146,000±$11,896	$288,900	+$36,591
Median gross rent	$824±$40	$1,228	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	39.6%±4.8 pts	39.6%	−8.0 pts
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,245±$60	$1,631	–
Owner-occupied homes	71.1%±2.3 pts	66.6%	no clear change
Housing units	23,563±60	4,895,668	−2,769
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.9%±0.6 pts	1.3%	–
Rental vacancy rate	4.6%±1.9 pts	7.1%	–
Single-family detached homes	62.0%±2.3 pts	65.3%	–
Mobile homes	30.0%±2.3 pts	11.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	1.8%±0.7 pts	3.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	6.3%±1.1 pts	4.9%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Columbus County building?

Builders took permits for 55 new housing units across Columbus County in 2025 (55 single-family), 1.1 per 1,000 residents.

2019 53 units
2020 78 units
2021 20 units
2022 33 units
2023 13 units
2024 55 units
2025 55 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Columbus County get to work?

83.3% of Columbus County's workers drive alone and 5.4% work from home. The average trip to work takes 29.3 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.4%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Columbus County	North Carolina	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	50.6%±1.6 pts	62.8%	–
Unemployment rate	4.4%±1.2 pts	4.7%	−2.2 pts
Drove alone to work	83.3%±2.5 pts	71.5%	–
Carpooled	8.9%±2.0 pts	8.5%	–
Public transportation	0.0%±0.2 pts	0.7%	–
Walked	1.5%±0.9 pts	1.6%	–
Worked from home	5.4%±1.2 pts	16.3%	+3.1 pts
Mean travel time to work	29.3 min±1.4	25.1 min	+2.3 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Columbus County's census tracts?

Columbus County is divided into 15 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $25,789 (Tract 9309) to $70,813 (Tract 9303).

Census tracts of Columbus County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 930137047930100	Delco (10%)	3,892	4,246±561	$58,091	$152,500	$1,064	8.6%
Tract 930237047930200	Bolton (20%)	1,843	2,246±369	$55,862	$148,000	$898	11.2%
Tract 930337047930300	Lake Waccamaw (34%)	2,332	2,454±279	$70,813	$240,800	$817	9.6%
Tract 930437047930400	Hallsboro (11%)	3,567	3,695±658	$58,026	$105,100	$901	17.8%
Tract 930537047930500	Boardman (9%)	4,057	4,040±587	$52,575	$151,000	$941	18.6%
Tract 930637047930600	Fair Bluff (28%)	2,950	3,052±402	$58,186	$157,700	$684	18.9%
Tract 930737047930700	Chadbourn (46%)	4,090	3,687±494	$42,676	$150,000	$737	31.8%
Tract 930837047930800	Whiteville (51%)	3,934	3,704±435	$65,372	$246,800	$928	10.1%
Tract 930937047930900	Whiteville (75%)	4,062	4,053±476	$25,789	$140,900	$691	23.9%
Tract 931037047931000	Whiteville (16%)	4,863	4,309±504	$40,592	$114,800	$916	17.1%
Tract 931137047931100	–	3,597	3,567±552	$53,583	$154,700	$836	18.9%
Tract 9312.0137047931201	Tabor City (60%)	5,120	4,955±364	$40,590	$124,900	$731	24.9%
Tract 9312.0237047931202	Tabor City (2%)	1,831	1,395±244	$46,375	$175,700	$796	13.8%
Tract 9313.0137047931301	–	2,267	1,894±369	$61,365	$126,900	$1,247	14.2%
Tract 9313.0237047931302	Brunswick (1%)	2,218	2,843±644	$33,630	$102,800	$801	24.5%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Columbus County compare with North Carolina's other counties?

Columbus County's rank among North Carolina's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	51st of 100
Growth 2020-2025	87th of 100
Residents per square mile	78th of 100
Median household income	87th of 100
Median home value	84th of 100
Median gross rent	66th of 100
Poverty rate	27th of 100
Bachelor's degree or higher	96th of 100
Median age	50th of 100

Every county in North Carolina

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Columbus County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.