West Columbia, South Carolina
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 5.7% since 2020.
18,489
people, the 30th-largest of South Carolina's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among South Carolina's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
Nearly every job here goes to someone who lives somewhere else.
96.1%
of 14,743 jobs located in West Columbia are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 82% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$1,201
a month. South Carolina's median is $1,180.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.
A $1,793 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Lexington County.
- $874 Tract 210.28
- $2,667 Tract 210.45
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.
$930–$1,394
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $1,201 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
75% of the housing here was built before 2000.
- 1,169 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
- 59% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 75% 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
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.4–1.6% to the 9,318 homes here.
34–147
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 22% less than South Carolina's.
$201,700
median home value in West Columbia.
- $201,700 West Columbia
- $259,000 South Carolina
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year