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Columbia City, IN

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

9,897
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

37.3
years ∙ half population younger than 37.3, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
21.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.4%
foreign-born population
98.6%Native
1.4% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Columbia City is a city within Whitley County, Indiana, United States.
Location
City in Whitley County, IN, US
Co-ordinates
DEC41.163051° N, 85.478751° W
DMS41° 09′ 46.98″ N, 85° 28′ 43.50″ W

Population Density & area

1,803/sq mi (696/km²)
Total Area
5.51 sq mi (14.27 km²)
Land Area
5.49 sq mi (14.22 km²) · 99.66%
Water Area
0.02 sq mi (0.05 km²) · 0.34%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.2% male
Male 49.2%
Female 50.8%
males per 100 females
Columbia City 97
Whitley County 98.8
Indiana 98.4

Nativity

1.4%
foreign-born population
98.6%Native
1.4% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Columbia City 1.4%
Whitley County 1%
Indiana 6.3%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

37.3
years ∙ half population younger than 37.3, half older
Columbia City
37.3
Whitley County
41.3
Indiana
38.1

Dependency ratio

Low High
62.4
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Columbia City 62.4
Whitley County 72.4
Indiana 66.7

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Columbia City Whitley County Indiana
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 22.3% 22.8% 23.3%
Working age (18-64) 61.6% 58% 59.9%
Senior (65+) 16.1% 19.2% 16.8%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 62.4 72.4 66.7
Child dependency ratio 36.2 39.3 38.8
Old-age dependency ratio 26.2 33.1 27.9
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
88.2%
Black
0.3%
Asian
0.2%
Hispanic
6.7%
Other
4.6%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
21.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Columbia City 21.6%
Whitley County 15.3%
Indiana 41.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Columbia City population
Columbia City Whitley County Indiana
Hispanic or Latino 6.7% 2.8% 8.6%
Mexican 2.2% 1.4% 5.7%
Puerto Rican 4% 1.1% 0.8%
Cuban 0% 0% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 0.5% 0.2% 2%
Not Hispanic or Latino 93.3% 97.2% 91.4%
One race 89.7% 93.3% 87.6%
White 88.2% 91.9% 75.4%
Black or African American 0.3% 0.2% 9.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
Asian 0.2% 0.3% 2.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0.9% 0.7% 0.4%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 3.6% 3.9% 3.8%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

57.8% family
Family 57.8%
Non family 42.2%
% family households
Columbia City 57.8%
Whitley County 70.4%
Indiana 63.7%

Average household size

2.22
persons per household
Columbia City
2.22
Whitley County
2.44
Indiana
2.46

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Columbia City population
Columbia City Whitley County Indiana
Total households 4,356 14,029 2,716,009
Average houshold size 2.22 2.44 2.46
Family households 2,516 9,872 1,729,978
Average family size 2.87 2.92 3.07
Married couple family 1,870 8,029 1,284,219
Other families 646 1,843 445,759
Male householder 264 674 137,811
Female householder 382 1,169 307,948
Non-family households 1,840 4,157 986,031
One-person households 1,481 3,435 803,751
Male householder 664 1,673 374,646
Senior (65+) living alone 163 528 109,929
Female householder 817 1,762 429,105
Senior (65+) living alone 408 1,015 217,057
Other living arrangements 359 722 182,280

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

4,595
housing units
Columbia City 4,595
Whitley County 15,030
Indiana 2,976,568

Occupancy status

94.8% occupied
Occupied 94.8%
Vacant 5.2%
vacancy rate
Columbia City 5.2%
Whitley County 6.7%
Indiana 8.8%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

70.9%
Single family houses
Single family houses
70.9%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
22.5%
Mobile homes
6.7%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1984
Half of houses were built before 1984, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
21.3%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
17.2%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
33.5%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
28.1%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Columbia City Whitley County Indiana
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.7 6.2 5.9
1–3 rooms 8.5% 5.4% 10.5%
4–6 rooms 62.4% 50.6% 51.4%
7+ rooms 29% 44% 38.2%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0.1% 0.2% 1.7%
1 bedroom 10.8% 7.2% 9.2%
2 bedrooms 29.7% 19.4% 24.7%
3 bedrooms 49.4% 53.1% 43.3%
4+ bedrooms 9.9% 20.1% 21.1%
At a glance
Median year built 1984 1979 1977
Total housing units 4,595 15,030 2,976,568
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

65% owners
Renter-occupied 35%
Owner-occupied 65%
homeownership rate
Columbia City 65%
Whitley County 81.8%
Indiana 70.6%

Average household size

2.4
Owner-occupied
1.87
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Columbia City 2.4
Whitley County 2.53
Indiana 2.58

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Columbia City Whitley County Indiana
Total occupied units 4,356 14,029 2,716,009
Year moved in
2020 or later 29.4% 18.2% 23.9%
2010 to 2019 43.1% 39.1% 39.6%
2000 to 2009 16.2% 20.3% 16.3%
1999 or earlier 11.3% 22.4% 20.2%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 97.9% 98.4% 98.2%
1.01 to 1.50 1.4% 1.1% 1.3%
1.51 or more 0.7% 0.5% 0.6%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 6.2% 3.9% 6.2%
1 vehicle 39.1% 25% 32%
2 vehicles 38% 40.9% 38.2%
3 or more vehicles 16.6% 30.1% 23.6%
House heating fuel used
Gas 74.2% 68.6% 65.8%
Electricity 23.4% 24.7% 31.2%
Solar 0% 0% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0.2% 1% 0.5%
All other fuels 1.8% 4.8% 2%
No fuel used 0.4% 0.8% 0.5%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.1% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 0.2% 0.3% 0.8%
No telephone service available 0.3% 0.4% 0.9%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$189,100
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Columbia City
$189,100
Whitley County
$219,400
Indiana
$218,200

Housing Cost Burden

17.2%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
17.2%
Owners without a mortgage
7.7%
Renters
43.5%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Columbia City Whitley County Indiana
Property value
Median Value $189,100 $219,400 $218,200
Under $100,000 14% 12.2% 16.1%
$100,000 - $200,000 39.8% 31.3% 28.5%
$200,000 - $300,000 32% 26.7% 25.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 13.2% 22.3% 21.8%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 1.1% 6.1% 7.3%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 1.5% 1.2%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 70.5% 63.4% 63.6%
Without a mortgage 29.5% 36.6% 36.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,151 $1,284 $1,404
Without a mortgage $581 $530 $517
Gross rent
Median rent $963 $934 $1,062

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

23.7%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Columbia City 23.7%
Whitley County 23.6%
Indiana 29.5%

Adults without a high school diploma

7.5%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Columbia City 7.5%
Whitley County 7%
Indiana 9.6%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

2,150
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
5.9%
K–12
79.7%
College / Undergraduate
12.7%
Graduate / Professional
1.8%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

6.1%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Columbia City
6.1%
Whitley County
14.5%
Indiana
37.8%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Columbia City Whitley County Indiana
Total enrolled (age 3+) 2,150 7,526 1,654,330
Nursery / preschool 5.9% 6.1% 5.8%
K–12 79.7% 80.6% 70.1%
Kindergarten 13.2% 11.3% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 23% 20.9% 20.9%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 21.8% 21% 21.8%
High School: Grades 9–12 21.7% 27.5% 22.1%
College or graduate school 14.5% 13.4% 24.1%
College, undergraduate 12.7% 10.9% 19%
Graduate, professional school 1.8% 2.5% 5.1%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 6.1% 14.5% 37.8%
School type
Public school 86.6% 81.8% 81.6%
Private school 13.4% 18.2% 18.4%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

6,719
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
3.1%
9th-12th, no diploma
4.4%
HS graduate
40.6%
Some college no degree
19.6%
Associates degree
8.6%
Bachelors degree
19.3%
Graduate or professional degree
4.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
24.2% · 75.8%
9th-12th, no diploma
70.5% · 29.5%
HS graduate
53.5% · 46.5%
Some college no degree
41.8% · 58.2%
Associates degree
35.7% · 64.3%
Bachelors degree
52.9% · 47.1%
Graduate or professional degree
44.3% · 55.7%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Columbia City Whitley County Indiana
Population (25+) 6,719 24,203 4,596,004
Less than 9th grade 3.1% 2.3% 3.6%
9th–12th, no diploma 4.4% 4.7% 6%
High school diploma or GED 40.6% 36.7% 32.5%
Some college, no degree 19.6% 20.7% 19.3%
Associate's degree 8.6% 12% 9.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 23.7% 23.6% 29.5%
Bachelor's degree 19.3% 16.6% 18.7%
Graduate or professional 4.5% 7% 10.8%
High School or higher 92.5% 93% 90.4%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$49,547
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$33,583
HS graduate
$42,250
Some college or associates
$47,932
Bachelors degree
$73,792
Graduate or professional degree
$58,281

Poverty Rate

3.4%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
14.6%
HS graduate
16.7%
Some college or associates
9.4%
Bachelors degree or higher
3.4%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Columbia City Whitley County Indiana
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $49,547 $52,049 $49,693
Less than high school graduate $33,583 $42,879 $34,287
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $42,250 $45,220 $40,411
Some college or associate's degree $47,932 $50,365 $47,119
Bachelor's degree $73,792 $62,385 $62,429
Graduate or professional degree $58,281 $66,429 $79,544
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 14.6% 13.4% 23.6%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 16.7% 10.9% 12.6%
Some college or associate's degree 9.4% 6.6% 9%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3.4% 3.2% 4%

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