Columbia, Alabama
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 3.4% since 2020.
720
people, the 297th-largest of Alabama's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Alabama's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
85.7%
of 133 jobs located in Columbia are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 103% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$760
a month. Alabama's median is $1,007.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.
A $1,201 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Houston County.
- $854 Tract 401
- $2,055 Tract 402.03
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.
$728–$1,092
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $760 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 82% of all homes were built before 2000
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0–0.3% to the 353 homes here.
0–1
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 25% less than Alabama's.
$156,800
median home value in Columbia.
- $156,800 Columbia
- $209,900 Alabama
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year