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Columbus City, IA

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

323
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

46.8
years ∙ half population younger than 46.8, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
49.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

25.1%
foreign-born population
74.9%Native
25.1% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Columbus City is a city within Louisa County, Iowa, United States.
Location
City in Louisa County, IA, US
Co-ordinates
DEC41.259178° N, 91.374738° W
DMS41° 15′ 33.04″ N, 91° 22′ 29.06″ W

Population Density & area

1,346/sq mi (518.5/km²)
Total Area
0.24 sq mi (0.623 km²)
Land Area
0.24 sq mi (0.623 km²) · 100%
Water Area
0 sq mi (0 km²) · 0%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

56.3% male
Male 56.3%
Female 43.7%
males per 100 females
Columbus City 129.1
Louisa County 101.7
Iowa 100.6

Nativity

25.1%
foreign-born population
74.9%Native
25.1% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Columbus City 25.1%
Louisa County 9.4%
Iowa 5.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

46.8
years ∙ half population younger than 46.8, half older
Columbus City
46.8
Louisa County
41.9
Iowa
38.6

Dependency ratio

Low High
68.2
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Columbus City 68.2
Louisa County 72.6
Iowa 69.6

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Columbus City Louisa County Iowa
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 19.8% 22% 22.9%
Working age (18-64) 59.5% 57.9% 59%
Senior (65+) 20.7% 20.1% 18.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 68.2 72.6 69.6
Child dependency ratio 33.3 37.9 38.8
Old-age dependency ratio 34.9 34.7 30.7
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
45.8%
Black
0%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
54.2%
Other
0%
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
49.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Columbus City 49.6%
Louisa County 37.8%
Iowa 31.4%
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 Columbus City population
Columbus City Louisa County Iowa
Hispanic or Latino 54.2% 16.4% 7.3%
Mexican 52.3% 15.7% 5%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.1% 0.3%
Cuban 0% 0% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 1.9% 0.6% 1.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino 45.8% 83.6% 92.7%
One race 45.8% 80.2% 89.2%
White 45.8% 77% 82.3%
Black or African American 0% 0.9% 3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0.1% 0.2%
Asian 0% 2.2% 2.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0% 0% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 0% 3.4% 3.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

68.4% family
Family 68.4%
Non family 31.6%
% family households
Columbus City 68.4%
Louisa County 72.8%
Iowa 61.6%

Average household size

2.43
persons per household
Columbus City
2.43
Louisa County
2.49
Iowa
2.36

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Columbus City population
Columbus City Louisa County Iowa
Total households 133 4,237 1,315,707
Average houshold size 2.43 2.49 2.36
Family households 91 3,085 809,836
Average family size 2.96 2.93 2.98
Married couple family 76 2,595 635,347
Other families 15 490 174,489
Male householder 4 134 56,457
Female householder 11 356 118,032
Non-family households 42 1,152 505,871
One-person households 35 972 406,436
Male householder 18 480 193,582
Senior (65+) living alone 7 143 58,028
Female householder 17 492 212,854
Senior (65+) living alone 10 302 111,645
Other living arrangements 7 180 99,435

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

135
housing units
Columbus City 135
Louisa County 4,739
Iowa 1,437,699

Occupancy status

98.5% occupied
Occupied 98.5%
Vacant 1.5%
vacancy rate
Columbus City 1.5%
Louisa County 10.6%
Iowa 8.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

73.3%
Single family houses
Single family houses
73.3%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
1.5%
Mobile homes
25.2%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1970
Half of houses were built before 1970, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
31.9%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
19.3%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
31.1%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
17.8%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Columbus City Louisa County Iowa
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6 6 5.9
1–3 rooms 0% 7.3% 11.8%
4–6 rooms 60% 54% 47.4%
7+ rooms 40% 38.7% 40.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0% 0.6% 1.7%
1 bedroom 2.2% 8.6% 9.2%
2 bedrooms 15.6% 25.4% 27%
3 bedrooms 53.3% 43.2% 37.3%
4+ bedrooms 28.9% 22.2% 24.7%
At a glance
Median year built 1970 1966 1972
Total housing units 135 4,739 1,437,699
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

97.7% owners
Renter-occupied 2.3%
Owner-occupied 97.7%
homeownership rate
Columbus City 97.7%
Louisa County 80.3%
Iowa 71.7%

Average household size

2.43
Owner-occupied
2.33
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Columbus City 2.43
Louisa County 2.55
Iowa 2.5

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Columbus City Louisa County Iowa
Total occupied units 133 4,237 1,315,707
Year moved in
2020 or later 9.1% 15.8% 24.3%
2010 to 2019 39.1% 34.8% 38.7%
2000 to 2009 18.8% 19.1% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 33.1% 30.3% 20.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 98% 98.4%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 1.2% 1.1%
1.51 or more 0% 0.8% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 10.5% 5.5% 5.4%
1 vehicle 13.5% 19.6% 30.5%
2 vehicles 38.3% 34.6% 37.8%
3 or more vehicles 37.6% 40.3% 26.3%
House heating fuel used
Gas 80.4% 72.9% 72.8%
Electricity 18% 22% 24.4%
Solar 0% 0.3% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.4% 0.3%
All other fuels 1.5% 3.3% 1.8%
No fuel used 0% 1% 0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.9% 0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen 0% 0.9% 0.8%
No telephone service available 0% 0.2% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$111,600
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Columbus City
$111,600
Louisa County
$150,100
Iowa
$208,000

Housing Cost Burden

10.9%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
10.9%
Owners without a mortgage
13.6%
Renters
0%
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
Columbus City Louisa County Iowa
Property value
Median Value $111,600 $150,100 $208,000
Under $100,000 35.4% 28.3% 17.8%
$100,000 - $200,000 49.2% 38.2% 30%
$200,000 - $300,000 10.8% 16.2% 23.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 4.6% 11.2% 21.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0% 5.5% 6.8%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 0.5% 1.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 49.2% 49.1% 59.4%
Without a mortgage 50.8% 50.9% 40.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,163 $1,291 $1,533
Without a mortgage $518 $523 $616
Gross rent
Median rent $— $775 $972

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

4.8%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Columbus City 4.8%
Louisa County 16.8%
Iowa 31.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

25.6%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Columbus City 25.6%
Louisa County 14.3%
Iowa 6.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

62
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
0%
K–12
79%
College / Undergraduate
21%
Graduate / Professional
0%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

20.7%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Columbus City
20.7%
Louisa County
29.9%
Iowa
42.3%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Columbus City Louisa County Iowa
Total enrolled (age 3+) 62 2,232 784,322
Nursery / preschool 0% 6.3% 6.2%
K–12 79% 76% 68.4%
Kindergarten 0% 5.9% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 24.2% 20.6% 20.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 38.7% 22.8% 21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12 16.1% 26.7% 21.6%
College or graduate school 21% 17.7% 25.4%
College, undergraduate 21% 15.1% 20.8%
Graduate, professional school 0% 2.6% 4.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 20.7% 29.9% 42.3%
School type
Public school 98.4% 89.8% 84.4%
Private school 1.6% 10.2% 15.6%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

230
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
3.9%
9th-12th, no diploma
21.7%
HS graduate
44.8%
Some college no degree
19.1%
Associates degree
5.7%
Bachelors degree
3.5%
Graduate or professional degree
1.3%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
44.4% · 55.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
56% · 44%
HS graduate
68% · 32%
Some college no degree
38.6% · 61.4%
Associates degree
38.5% · 61.5%
Bachelors degree
100% · 0%
Graduate or professional degree
66.7% · 33.3%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Columbus City Louisa County Iowa
Population (25+) 230 7,539 2,154,149
Less than 9th grade 3.9% 4.9% 2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 21.7% 9.4% 4%
High school diploma or GED 44.8% 37% 30%
Some college, no degree 19.1% 20.1% 19.7%
Associate's degree 5.7% 11.8% 12.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 4.8% 16.8% 31.4%
Bachelor's degree 3.5% 13.9% 20.9%
Graduate or professional 1.3% 2.9% 10.5%
High School or higher 74.3% 85.7% 93.3%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$48,971
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$41,042
HS graduate
$48,611
Some college or associates
$56,786
Bachelors degree
$—
Graduate or professional degree
$—

Poverty Rate

0%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
10.2%
HS graduate
4.9%
Some college or associates
7%
Bachelors degree or higher
0%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Columbus City Louisa County Iowa
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $48,971 $47,914 $51,106
Less than high school graduate $41,042 $41,364 $35,996
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $48,611 $49,033 $41,528
Some college or associate's degree $56,786 $47,537 $47,635
Bachelor's degree $— $53,372 $62,744
Graduate or professional degree $— $70,469 $80,022
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 10.2% 8.8% 21.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 4.9% 8.2% 12.4%
Some college or associate's degree 7% 9.1% 8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 0% 8.3% 3.8%

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