Columbus, Ga., is still Georgia's second-largest city, but only by 172 people.

The U.S. Census Bureau's newest estimates put Columbus at 202,171 residents on July 1, 2025. Augusta is right behind at 201,999. Five years ago, the gap between the two cities was more than 4,800 people.

There's good news in the numbers too: after four straight years of losing people, Columbus grew last year. The gain was small, just 99 people, but it's the city's first increase since the 2020 Census.

Here's what the new numbers show for Columbus, Phenix City, Harris County and the rest of the Chattahoochee Valley.

The race for No. 2

Georgia's five biggest cities, according to the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates:

2020 is the Census Bureau's April 2020 starting point for its estimates. 2025 is the July 1, 2025, estimate. Columbus, Augusta and Macon are consolidated city-county governments, so each city's number covers almost its entire county.

Columbus has been Georgia's No. 2 city for decades. But Augusta has held almost perfectly steady since 2020 while Columbus lost people, and the two are now separated by about the number of people at a big Sunday church service.

Will Augusta pass Columbus? That depends on next year's numbers. Columbus gained 99 people last year and Augusta gained 20, so Columbus actually widened its lead slightly in 2025. If Columbus keeps growing, it should hold on to second place.

Columbus, year by year

The trend is clear: the losses have shrunk every year, from about 2,500 people in 2022 to 1 person in 2024, and in 2025 the line finally turned up.

Why Columbus lost people, and why that's changing

The Census Bureau breaks every county's change into three parts: births minus deaths, people moving in from other countries, and people moving to or from other U.S. counties.

Here's Muscogee County's breakdown for each year:

Totals include a small statistical adjustment the Census Bureau calls a "residual," so the parts don't always add up exactly.

What this means:

• More people move out of Columbus than move in from elsewhere in the U.S., but that outflow has dropped sharply, from 3,171 in 2022 to 609 in 2025.
• Columbus has more births than deaths every year. In 2025, there were 2,583 births and 2,149 deaths.
• Immigration from other countries added people every year, peaking at 846 in 2024.

Over the five years, Columbus lost a net 8,842 people to other U.S. counties. Births outpacing deaths (+1,753) and international immigration (+2,175) made up less than half of that.

Muscogee slips to Georgia's 12th-largest county

Columbus is still Georgia's second-largest city, but Muscogee County has slipped among Georgia's counties, because the counties around Atlanta are growing so quickly.

In 2020, Muscogee was No. 10. Since then, Hall County and Richmond County have both moved ahead. Richmond County is bigger than Muscogee even though the city of Augusta is slightly smaller than Columbus, because Richmond County also includes the separate cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.

Georgia as a whole grew 5.5% since 2020, adding 588,887 people. The biggest gains were in metro Atlanta: Gwinnett County alone added 60,714 people, followed by Cherokee, Fulton and Forsyth, each up more than 31,000.

Phenix City dips slightly; Russell County holds steady

Across the river, Phenix City had an estimated 38,344 people in 2025, down 484 (−1.2%) since 2020 and down 229 in the latest year.

Russell County as a whole was nearly flat: 58,898 people, down 272 (−0.5%) since 2020. Russell had more deaths (746) than births (518) last year, but gained people moving in from other counties.

Harris County keeps growing

Harris County is the fastest-growing county in the Columbus metro area:

• 2025 population: 37,280
• Growth since 2020: +2,606 (+7.5%), faster than Georgia as a whole (+5.5%)
• Last year: +315 (+0.85%)

That ranks Harris 44th of Georgia's 159 counties for growth since 2020. Almost all of Harris' growth comes from people moving in: it had more deaths (327) than births (286) last year, but gained 334 people from other U.S. counties.

Hamilton, the county seat, grew 7.0% to 1,824, and Pine Mountain grew 6.9% to 1,303.

Fort Benning's county shrinks

Chattahoochee County, much of which is Fort Benning, has lost more people than any county in the region by percentage: down 1,103 people, or 11.5%, since 2020, to 8,465. That's the second-biggest percentage drop of any county in Georgia.

Chattahoochee's population rises and falls with the number of soldiers and families living on post, so it can swing sharply from year to year. It did tick up by 74 people last year.

The Columbus metro area

The federal government defines the Columbus metro area as seven counties: Muscogee, Harris, Chattahoochee, Marion, Talbot and Stewart in Georgia, and Russell in Alabama.

The metro area as a whole is down about 4,000 people since 2020, but it grew by 437 last year.

Next door: Auburn and Opelika are booming

Just up I-85, Lee County, Ala., is one of the fastest-growing places in the region:

Opelika's 15.3% growth since 2020 outpaced even Auburn's. Lee County added 2,099 people in the last year alone, nearly five times the Columbus metro's gain.

How Columbus compares with similar cities

Columbus isn't alone. Several mid-sized Southern cities have lost people since 2020:

What the numbers mean for Columbus

• Federal and state money: many grants and funding formulas are based on population, so holding steady matters.
• The No. 2 title: "Georgia's second-largest city" is part of how Columbus markets itself to businesses and visitors. A 172-person lead is thin.
• Housing and jobs: the shrinking outflow suggests fewer people are leaving for jobs or cheaper housing elsewhere, and new projects like the jobs announced around the region could help turn the corner for good.

Quick answers

What is the population of Columbus, Ga.?
About 202,171, according to the Census Bureau's July 1, 2025, estimate.

Is Columbus the second-largest city in Georgia?
Yes, but barely. It's 172 people ahead of Augusta (201,999).

Is Columbus growing or shrinking?
Both, depending on the time frame. It's down 2.3% since 2020, but it grew by 99 people in the latest year, its first gain since 2020.

What's the fastest-growing county near Columbus?
In the metro area, Harris County, up 7.5% since 2020. Nearby, Lee County, Ala. (Auburn-Opelika) is up 8.9%.

What is the population of Phenix City?
About 38,344 in 2025.

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