Columbia County, Florida (FL)

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County population in July 2007: 67,985 (32% urban, 68% rural)
County owner-occupied houses and condos: 16,137
Renter-occupied apartments: 4,788

% of renters here:	23%
State:	30%

Land area: 797 sq. mi.
Water area: 4.0 sq. mi.

Population density: 71 people per square mile

(average).

Residents with income below the poverty level in 1999:

This county:	15.0%
Whole state:	12.5%

Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 1999:

This county:	5.7%
Whole state:	5.7%

2008 cost of living index in Columbia County: 79.3 (low, U.S. average is 100)

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Industries providing employment: Educational,health and social services (21.1%), Retail trade (14.3%), Public administration (11.2%).

Type of workers:

Private wage or salary: 67%
Government: 25%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 7%
Unpaid family work: 0%

Columbia County, Florida business data: stores, dealers, real estate agents, wholesalers, restaurants...

Races in Columbia County, Florida:

White Non-Hispanic (78.0%)
Black (17.0%)
Hispanic (2.7%)
Two or more races (1.4%)
American Indian (1.2%)
Other race (0.6%)

(Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics could be counted in other races)

Median resident age:	37.3 years
Florida median age:	38.7 years

Males: 28,656	(50.7%)
Females: 27,857	(49.3%)

Average wage per job in 2003: $27,159
County population in 2003: 60,281
Jobs in 2003: 20,740

Recent posts about Columbia County, Florida on our local forum with over 400,000 registered users. Columbia County is mentioned 20 times on our forum:

	Who is, has or wants to move to Florida ? (201 replies)
	Why do people like this place? (189 replies)
	New property tax proposal? (79 replies)
	Got a job in lake city (8 replies)
	Gainesville/Alachua (29 replies)
	Should we move to Lake City?? (15 replies)

Columbia County,FL real estate house value trend

Total labor force in 2004: 26,889
Unemployment rate in 2004: 4.5%

Average household size:

Columbia County:	2.6 people
Florida:	2.5 people

Estimated median household income in 2005: $33,756 ($30,881 in 2000)

This county	$33,756
Florida:	$42,433

Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $149,648

Columbia County	$149,648
Florida:	$189,500

Median monthly rent in 2000: $448
Institutionalized population: 2,614
Median monthly costs for houses with a mortgage in Columbia County in 2000: $729

Crime in 2005 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):

Murders: 4
Rapes: 35
Robberies: 15
Assaults: 211
Burglaries: 382
Thefts: 686
Auto thefts: 101

Crime in 2004 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):

Murders: 2
Rapes: 22
Robberies: 22
Assaults: 189
Burglaries: 403
Thefts: 713
Auto thefts: 84

Columbia County races chart

Single-family new house construction building permits:

2000: 289 buildings, average cost: $57,900
2001: 266 buildings, average cost: $57,800
2002: 247 buildings, average cost: $63,500
2003: 299 buildings, average cost: $67,100
2004: 380 buildings, average cost: $98,100
2005: 512 buildings, average cost: $97,700
2006: 467 buildings, average cost: $97,800

Number of permits per 10,000 residents

Average cost (in 1000s)

2004 Presidential Election results in Columbia County Florida:

Bush/Cheney (Republican): 67.1%
Kerry/Edwards (Democratic): 32.1%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: $742 (1.0%)

Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Columbia County is $428 a month.
Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $506 a month.
Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $631 a month.

Cities in this county include: Lake City, Watertown, Five Points, Fort White, North Columbia.

2005 air pollution in Columbia County:

Ozone (1-hour): 0.085 ppm (standard limit: 0.12 ppm). Near U.S. average.
Ozone (8-hour): 0.074 ppm (standard limit: 0.08 ppm). Near U.S. average.

Neighboring counties: Alachua County , Baker County , Gilchrist County , Hamilton County , Clinch County, Georgia , Echols County, Georgia , Suwannee County , Union County .

Click to draw/clear county borders

Notable locations in this county outside city limits:

Notable locations in Columbia County: Osceola Ranger Station (A), Osceola Work Center (B), McAlpin Landing (C), Sandhill Hunt Camp (D), Vinzant Landing (E), Waldron Landing (F), Browns Landing (G), West Tower Hunt Camp (H), Wiggins Hunt Camp (I). Display/hide their locations on the map

Churches in Columbia County include: Church of the Living God (A), Mikesville Church (B), Mount Carmel Church (C), Mount Pleasant Church (D), Mount Salem Church (E), Mount Sinai Church (F), Mount Tabor Church (G), Mount Zion Church (H), College Manor Chapel (I). Display/hide their locations on the map

Cemeteries: Gillen Allen Cemetery (1), Hawthorne Cemetery (2), Price Creek Cemetery (3), Kerce Cemetery (4), Farnell Cemetery (5), Hope Henry Cemetery (6), Godbolt Cemetery (7). Display/hide their locations on the map

Lakes, reservoirs, and swamps: Jeffery, Lake (A), Casterline Lake (B), Moore Pond (C), Lona, Lake (D), Barbara Lake (E), Gar Pond (F), String of Ponds (G), Dicks Lake (H). Display/hide their locations on the map

Streams, rivers, and creeks: Rocky Creek (A), Price Creek (B), Browns Branch (C), Tiger Branch (D), Four Mile Branch (E), Robinson Creek (F), Little Creek (G), Hammock Branch (H), Little Branch (I). Display/hide their locations on the map

Parks in Columbia County include: Big Shoals State Park (1), O'Leno State Park (2), River Rise Preserve State Park (3). Display/hide their locations on the map

Unemployment in September 2007:

Here:	3.6%
Florida:	4.3%

Unemployment by year (%)

County total employment by year

County average yearly wages by year ($)

Current college students: 1,874
People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 74.7%
People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 10.9%

Number of foreign born residents: 1,316 (59% naturalized citizens)

Columbia County:	2.3%
Whole state:	16.7%

Year of entry for the foreign-born population
	1995 to March 2000: 257 1990 to 1994: 148 1985 to 1989: 116 1980 to 1984: 105 1975 to 1979: 56 1970 to 1974: 160 1970 to 1974: 108 1965 to 1969: 366

Mean travel time to work: 24.1 minutes

Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 74.6%

Columbia County marital status for males

Columbia County marital status for females

Housing units in structures:

One, detached: 12,059
One, attached: 219
Two: 630
3 or 4: 400
5 to 9: 289
10 to 19: 92
20 or more: 440
Mobile homes: 9,273
Boats, RVs, vans, etc.: 177

Housing units in Columbia County with a mortgage: 4,987 (617 second mortgage, 342 home equity loan, 14 both second mortgage and home equity loan)
Houses without a mortgage: 3,183

Agriculture in Columbia County
Average size of farms: 131 acres
Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $67976
Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $824.76
The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 83.01%
Average total farm production expenses per farm: $68469
Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 10.68%
Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 19.15%
Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $15318
The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 92.01%
Average age of principal farm operators: 58 years
Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 21.42
Milk cows as a percentage of all cattle and calves: 4.09%
Corn for grain: 137 harvested acres
Vegetables: 199 harvested acres
Land in orchards: 325 acres

Columbia County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is significantly below Florida state average. It is 1.0 times below overall U.S. average.
Tornadoes in this county have caused 9 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004.
On 4/23/1983, a category 2 (max. wind speeds 113-157 mph) tornado injured 6 people and caused between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages.

Class of Workers

Most common industries for males:

Construction (15%)
Public administration (12%)
Accommodation and food services (6%)
Other transportation, and support activities, and couriers (5%)
Health care (5%)
Truck transportation (4%)
Educational services (4%)

Most common industries for females:

Health care (17%)
Educational services (13%)
Public administration (10%)
Accommodation and food services (9%)
Social assistance (5%)
Professional, scientific, and technical services (4%)
Department and other general merchandise stores (4%)

Most common occupations for males

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (7%)
Law enforcement workers including supervisors (6%)
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (6%)
Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations including supervisors (5%)
Construction trades workers except carpenters, electricians, painters, plumbers, and construction laborers (4%)
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (4%)
Other sales and related workers including supervisors (4%)

Most common occupations for females

Other office and administrative support workers including supervisors (7%)
Secretaries and administrative assistants (6%)
Preschool, kindergarten, elementary and middle school teachers (5%)
Cashiers (5%)
Registered nurses (4%)
Other sales and related workers including supervisors (4%)
Health technologists and technicians (4%)

Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents:

Germany (12%)
Mexico (10%)
Cuba (10%)
Canada (10%)
Philippines (9%)
India (5%)
Australia (4%)

Most common first ancestries reported in Columbia County:

United States or American (26%)
English (10%)
German (9%)
Irish (9%)
Italian (3%)
French (except Basque) (2%)
Scotch-Irish (2%)

Columbia County mode of transportation to work chart

Means of transportation to work

Drove a car alone: 18,281 (81%)
Carpooled: 3,078 (14%)
Bus or trolley bus: 17 (0%)
Taxi: 10 (0%)
Motorcycle: 11 (0%)
Bicycle: 72 (0%)
Walked: 305 (1%)
Other means: 409 (2%)
Worked at home: 524 (2%)

People in group quarters in Columbia County, Florida

1687 people in state prisons
386 people in nursing homes
296 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
145 people in institutions for the blind
96 people in other types of correctional institutions
94 people in other noninstitutional group quarters
76 people in homes for the mentally retarded
60 people in college dormitories (includes college quarters off campus)
55 people in homes for the mentally ill
14 people in homes or halfway houses for drug/alcohol abuse
8 people in homes for the physically handicapped
6 people in other group homes
4 people in training schools for juvenile delinquents

Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2005 was $43,857.

10.91% of this county's 2006 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2005 ($36,160 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	10.91%
Florida average:	8.71%

0.08% of residents moved from foreign countries ($306 average AGI)
Columbia County: 0.08%
Florida average: 0.22%

7.88% relocated from other counties in Florida ($27,087 average AGI)
2.95% relocated from other states ($8,768 average AGI)
Columbia County: 2.95%
Florida average: 4.24%

Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries

Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2005 and 2006:

from Suwannee County, FL	1.22% ($28,097 average AGI)
from Alachua County, FL	0.95% ($35,820)
from Orange County, FL	0.81% ($52,235)
from Broward County, FL	0.42% ($38,741)
from Duval County, FL	0.39% ($31,316)
from Palm Beach County, FL	0.37% ($49,440)
from Union County, FL	0.24% ($31,854)

7.54% of this county's 2005 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2006 ($30,808 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	7.54%
Florida average:	7.73%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
5.15% relocated to other counties in Florida ($21,702 average AGI)
2.40% relocated to other states ($9,106 average AGI)
Columbia County: 2.40%
Florida average: 3.31%

Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2005 and 2006:

to Suwannee County, FL	0.93% ($29,765 average AGI)
to Alachua County, FL	0.86% ($29,675)
to Duval County, FL	0.51% ($26,267)
to Hamilton County, FL	0.22% ($28,930)
to Union County, FL	0.21% ($29,619)
to Leon County, FL	0.15% ($40,833)
to Clay County, FL	0.14% ($32,750)

Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 14.3
Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 13.4

Births per 1000 population in Columbia County

Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 9.9
Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 11.1

Deaths per 1000 population in Columbia County

Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 9.9
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2003: 10.6

Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Columbia County

Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2003: 9,881 (7,749 aged, 2,132 disabled)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 17%
Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 14%

Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 4.85
Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 24295.11
Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 830.520
Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 107915.78

General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1403.810
Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1000.940
Dentists per 100,000 population in 1998: 10.93

Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 24.55
Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 70.27

Limited-service eating places per 100,000 population in 2005 : 6.25

Household type by relationship

Households: 53,577

In family households: 46,349 (11,060 male householders, 3,913 female householders)
11,412 spouses, 15,827 children (13,967 natural, 418 adopted, 1,442 stepchildren), 1,337 grandchildren, 418 brothers or sisters, 390 parents, 878 other relatives, 1,114 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 7,228 (2,993 male householders (2,343 living alone)), 2,988 female householders (2,655 living alone)), 1,247 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 2,936 (2,686 institutionalized population)

Size of family households: 6,624 2-persons, 3,501 3-persons, 2,797 4-persons, 1,252 5-persons, 521 6-persons, 278 7-or-more-persons.

Size of nonfamily households: 4,998 1-person, 839 2-persons, 80 3-persons, 36 4-persons, 6 5-persons, 22 6-persons.

94.9% of residents of Columbia County speak English at home.
3.1% of residents speak Spanish at home (57% speak English very well, 23% speak English well, 16% speak English not well, 3% don't speak English at all).
1.3% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (77% speak English very well, 15% speak English well, 8% speak English not well).
0.5% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (58% speak English very well, 34% speak English well, 8% speak English not well).
0.1% of residents speak other language at home (87% speak English very well, 13% speak English well).

In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $385,315,000 ($6226 per capita)
Department of Defense expenditure: $17,186,000
Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $177,332,000
Federal other direct payments to individuals: $74,179,000
Federal direct payments not to individuals: $936,000
Federal grants: $73,247,000
Federal procurement contracts: $2,863,000 ($93,000 Department of Defense)
Federal salaries and wages: $56,758,000 ($1,107,000 Department of Defense)
Federal Government direct loans: $894,000
Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $28,510,000
Federal Government insurance: $51,512,000

Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 4,126

Here:	64 per 1000 residents
State:	63 per 1000 residents

Deaths: 3,526

Here:	55 per 1000 residents
State:	49 per 1000 residents

Net international migration: +216

Here:	+3 per 1000 residents
State:	+30 per 1000 residents

Net internal migration: +6,862

Here:	+107 per 1000 residents
State:	+59 per 1000 residents

Population growth in Columbia County

Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 3.67 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)

Median number of rooms in houses and condos:

Here:	5.7
State:	5.6

Median number of rooms in apartments:

Here:	4.4
State:	3.8

Year house built:

1999 to March 2000: 969
1995 to 1998: 3,356
1990 to 1994: 3,121
1980 to 1989: 5,740
1970 to 1979: 4,624
1960 to 1969: 2,429
1950 to 1959: 1,495
1940 to 1949: 1,001
1939 or earlier: 844

Rooms in owner-occupied houses in Columbia County, Florida:
	1 room: 12 2 rooms: 180 3 rooms: 648 4 rooms: 1,851 5 rooms: 4,409 6 rooms: 4,268 7 rooms: 2,815 8 rooms: 1,190 9+ rooms: 764

Rooms in renter-occupied apartments in Columbia County, Florida:
	1 room: 149 2 rooms: 358 3 rooms: 632 4 rooms: 1,389 5 rooms: 1,283 6 rooms: 583 7 rooms: 221 8 rooms: 110 9+ rooms: 63

Bedrooms in owner-occupied houses and condos in Columbia County:
	no bedroom: 42 1 bedroom: 458 2 bedrooms: 3,915 3 bedrooms: 9,539 4 bedrooms: 1,997 5+ bedrooms: 186

Bedrooms in renter-occupied apartments in Columbia County:
	no bedroom: 197 1 bedroom: 696 2 bedrooms: 2,355 3 bedrooms: 1,376 4 bedrooms: 147 5+ bedrooms: 17

Cars and other vehicles available in Columbia County in owner-occupied houses/condos:
	no vehicle: 819 1 vehicle: 5,158 2 vehicles: 7,201 3 vehicles: 2,321 4 vehicles: 526 5+ vehicles: 112

Cars and other vehicles available in Columbia County in renter-occupied apartments
	no vehicle: 722 1 vehicle: 2,504 2 vehicles: 1,263 3 vehicles: 236 4 vehicles: 58 5+ vehicles: 5

53% of Columbia County residents lived in the same house 5 years ago.
Out of people who lived in different houses, 44% lived in this county.
Out of people who lived in different counties, 64% lived in Florida.

Columbia County:	53.5%
State average:	51.1%

Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:

This state: 32726
Northeast: 4994
Midwest: 5583
South: 9798
West: 1523

Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $54,500

Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 1%

Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 1%

Year Householders Moved Into Unit:

Most commonly used house heating fuel in houses and condos:
	Electricity (67%) Bottled, tank, or LP gas (18%) Utility gas (10%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (3%) Wood (2%)

Most commonly used house heating fuel in apartments:
	Electricity (60%) Bottled, tank, or LP gas (18%) Utility gas (16%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (4%) No fuel used (2%) Wood (1%)

Private vs. public school enrollment:
Students in private schools in grades 1 to 8 (elementary and middle school): 434

Here:	6.3%
Florida:	11.7%

Students in private schools in grades 9 to 12 (high school): 347

Here:	9.8%
Florida:	9.7%

Students in private undergraduate colleges: 185

Here:	10.8%
Florida:	21.0%

Educational Attainment

School Enrollment by Level of School

Age and Sex of Sensory-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Physically-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Mentally-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Self-Care Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Go-Outside-Home Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Residents with Employment Disability (Noninst.)

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Total Number Of Recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of aged recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of blind and disabled recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients under 18

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients between 18 and 64

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients older than 64

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients also receiving OASDI

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Amount of payments (thousands of dollars)

Columbia County Fatal accident statistics for 1975 - 20