Columbia is a larger medium-sized city located in the state of South Carolina. With a population of 139,698 people and 85 associated neighborhoods, Columbia is the second largest community in South Carolina.

8.85% of the workforce is employed in the armed forces, making the military a huge focus of life in Columbia. Even though it is a military town, the civilian sector still plays an important role in the local economy. The Education and Healthcare industries respectively employ 13.63% and 12.72% of the civilian workforce.

Also of interest is that Columbia has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Columbia telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 8.30% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Columbia is a nice balance between life in a moderately big city and the interesting diversions and culture that come from having a big college student population. The thousands of students who arrive on campus every fall will find that Columbia has plenty of amenities and opportunities for them, while residents of Columbia enjoy the lectures, music, art, and economic trickle-down that colleges typically provide. "Town and Gown" complement each other in Columbia.

Not only is Columbia a city with many college students, but it also retains many recent graduates who are looking to start new careers, shaping the character of the city into a place that is geared toward, and considered attractive to, many single, educated people. Many singles consider Columbia a good place to live without being in a really big city, with opportunities for friendships and fun with others like themselves.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Columbia spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 19.18 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.

Columbia is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 44.79% of adults in Columbia have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.

The per capita income in Columbia in 2018 was $36,422, which is upper middle income relative to South Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $145,688 for a family of four. However, Columbia contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Columbia is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Columbia home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Columbia residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Columbia include German, English, Irish, Italian, and African.

The most common language spoken in Columbia is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.