Columbia is a somewhat small city located in the state of Illinois. With a population of 10,970 people and three associated neighborhoods, Columbia is the 208th largest community in Illinois. There's nothing like the smell of a brand new house, and in Columbia, you'll find that a large proportion of houses were recently built. New growth in residential real estate is an indication that people are choosing to move to Columbia, and putting down their money on brand new construction. Columbia’s real estate is, on average, some of the newest in the nation. Columbia does seem to be experiencing an influx of affluent people, because the median household income is $106,603.00.

Columbia real estate is some of the most expensive in Illinois, although Columbia house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

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.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 9.82% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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.

Because of many things, Columbia is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Columbia really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Columbia perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.

As is often the case in a small city, Columbia doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

If knowledge is power, Columbia is a pretty powerful place. 51.10% of the adults in Columbia have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Columbia in 2018 was $50,918, which is wealthy relative to Illinois and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $203,672 for a family of four.

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 French.

The most common language spoken in Columbia is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.