Columbus, Nebraska

Population

Growing. Up 4.8% since 2020.

25,248

people, the 8th-largest of Nebraska's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Nebraska's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

6 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

55.9%

of 15,010 jobs located in Columbus are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in April: 2.2%.

2.3%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 2.5%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 74% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$892

a month. Nebraska's median is $1,072.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $626.

A $626 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Platte County.

• $740 Tract 9653.02
• $1,366 Tract 9653.01

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.

$1,120–$1,680

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $892 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

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 1,353 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 50% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 83% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.3–1.5% to the 10,303 homes here.

36–150

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

Home value

A median home costs 10% less than Nebraska's.

$213,600

median home value in Columbus.

• $213,600 Columbus
• $238,600 Nebraska
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year