COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus has a high school completion rate of 90.6%, approximately matching Georgia's 89.8%, but its share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is substantially below the state average, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, published through Census Reporter, show that 27.8% of Columbus adults have at least a bachelor's degree, compared with 36.3% statewide and 36.9% nationally. That places Columbus 8.5 percentage points below Georgia and 9.1 points below the United States in bachelor's degree attainment.

The same Census data shows Columbus has a median age of 36.1 years, compared with 38 statewide and 39.2 nationally. Columbus also recorded a higher percentage of residents who moved during the previous year, at 17.5%, compared with 12.9% across Georgia. The figures come from the 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates displayed in Census Reporter's Columbus and Georgia profiles.

The Census Reporter data also includes population, household, income and poverty estimates. Columbus had an estimated population of 201,830, with 81,378 households and a poverty rate of 17.3%. Those figures provide additional demographic context for the city's educational attainment measurements.

Columbus High School Completion Rate Near Georgia Average

The 2024 American Community Survey estimates that 90.6% of Columbus adults have graduated from high school or reached a higher educational level. According to Census Reporter, that represents approximately 121,748 people. The estimate carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.

Georgia's high school completion rate is 89.8%, while the national figure is 89.9%, according to the same Census data. The Columbus metropolitan area's rate is listed at 90%. Census Reporter describes these completion rates as approximately the same.

The difference between Columbus and Georgia is 0.8 percentage points. That difference falls within the margin of error reported for Columbus, meaning the estimates do not establish a meaningful statistical separation. The statewide estimate has a smaller reported margin of error of plus or minus 0.6 percentage points.

The Columbus estimate of 121,748 people also carries a margin of error of approximately 6,204.5 people. Census Reporter presents that estimated population alongside the 90.6% completion rate. Both measurements come from the 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates.

Bachelor's Degree Attainment Trails State by 8.5 Points

Columbus has a bachelor's degree attainment rate of 27.8%, according to Census Reporter's 2024 American Community Survey data. The comparable statewide rate is 36.3%, while the national rate is 36.9%. The Columbus metropolitan area's figure is 27.6%.

Subtracting Columbus's 27.8% from Georgia's 36.3% produces a difference of 8.5 percentage points. The national comparison produces a difference of 9.1 percentage points, calculated as 36.9% minus 27.8%. Both differences are larger than the corresponding gap in high school completion rates.

Census Reporter estimates that approximately 37,387 Columbus people fall within the bachelor's degree or higher category. The population estimate carries a margin of error of approximately 3,499.4 people. The percentage estimate has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Georgia's bachelor's degree attainment estimate carries a margin of error of plus or minus 0.4 percentage points. The reported statewide percentage is 36.3%, compared with Columbus's 27.8%. The figures reflect the Census Bureau's 2024 survey estimates rather than a count of degrees awarded during that year.

Columbus Education Compared With Georgia and the Nation

Census Reporter's Columbus and Georgia profiles show comparison figures for the Columbus metropolitan area, Georgia and the United States. The education figures below come from the 2024 American Community Survey data displayed in those profiles. They show the difference between high school completion and bachelor's degree attainment across the four geographic areas.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, as displayed by Census Reporter.

The table shows Columbus and its metropolitan area have similar educational attainment percentages. Columbus's high school completion figure is 90.6%, compared with 90% for the metropolitan area. Their bachelor's degree figures are also close, at 27.8% and 27.6%, respectively.

The comparison with Georgia is different depending on the education category. Columbus's high school completion estimate is approximately the same as the state's, within the reported margin of error. Its bachelor's degree attainment estimate is 8.5 percentage points below the statewide figure.

These percentages describe educational attainment rather than college enrollment or graduation totals for a particular year. Census Reporter identifies them as part of the Census Bureau's American Community Survey data. The 2024 figures provide a statistical comparison of residents' educational attainment across the listed geographic areas.

Columbus Has a Younger Median Age Than Georgia

The median age in Columbus is 36.1 years, according to the 2024 American Community Survey estimates. Georgia's median age is 38, while the national median is 39.2. The Columbus metropolitan area's median age is 37.3.

Columbus's median age estimate has a reported margin of error of plus or minus 0.5 years. Georgia's estimate has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.2 years. The figures show that Columbus's estimated median age is lower than both the state and national figures.

The median age is one of several demographic measures presented alongside educational attainment in Census Reporter. The data also includes residential mobility, household characteristics and income estimates. Each provides a separate measurement of Columbus's population.

The Census data does not establish that the city's median age explains its educational attainment figures. It reports the measurements separately within the demographic profile. The figures can be compared geographically without assigning a cause to the differences.

More Columbus Residents Moved During the Previous Year

Census Reporter estimates that 17.5% of Columbus residents moved during the previous year. The corresponding figure is 15.3% for the Columbus metropolitan area, 12.9% for Georgia and 11.8% nationally. The figures come from the 2024 American Community Survey data.

In Columbus, the estimate represents approximately 34,958 people. The city's 17.5% mobility figure has a reported margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. The statewide estimate is 4.6 percentage points lower than the Columbus figure.

The national comparison shows a difference of 5.7 percentage points. Columbus's 17.5% estimate exceeds the national figure of 11.8%. The data describes movement during the preceding year but does not establish why residents moved.

The mobility figures provide another demographic comparison alongside the education data. Columbus has both a younger estimated median age and a higher estimated share of residents who moved during the previous year. The Census Reporter profile does not identify either measure as the cause of the city's educational attainment percentages.

Population, Households and Foreign-Born Residents

Columbus had an estimated population of 201,830 in the Census Reporter profile. The city also had approximately 81,378 households, with a reported margin of error of plus or minus 2,068 households. The average household size was 2.4 people.

Georgia's average household size was 2.6 people, compared with 2.5 nationally. Columbus's figure of 2.4 was below both comparison figures. These estimates appear in the population and household characteristics reported by Census Reporter.

The city's foreign-born population was estimated at 10,290 people, representing 5.1% of the population. The estimated count carries a margin of error of approximately 1,985 people. Georgia's foreign-born share was 11.9%, while the national figure was 14.8%.

The foreign-born percentage in Columbus was therefore lower than both the state and national estimates. The difference was 6.8 percentage points compared with Georgia and 9.7 points compared with the United States. Those comparisons use the percentages reported in the 2024 Census data.

Income and Poverty Figures Provide Additional Context

The 2024 American Community Survey estimates Columbus's poverty rate at 17.3%, according to Census Reporter. Georgia's rate was 12.6%, while the national figure was 12.2%. The Columbus estimate carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

Columbus's per capita income was estimated at $33,367. That compares with $41,996 statewide and $45,256 nationally, according to the same profiles. The Columbus income estimate has a margin of error of plus or minus $2,874.

The city's median household income was $57,010, according to Census Reporter. That measurement is distinct from per capita income, which is separately reported in the profile. Both figures appear among the city's 2024 economic characteristics.

The poverty and income figures accompany the educational attainment estimates but do not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship. Census Reporter provides each as a separate statistical measurement. The data supports geographic comparisons without identifying why the differences exist.

How to Read the 2024 Census Estimates

The figures in this report come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, as displayed by Census Reporter. They are identified as 1-year estimates rather than 5-year estimates. The survey year for the comparisons is 2024. The profiles reviewed do not state the age group on which the education percentages are based, so this report describes them only as shares of adults.

The distinction matters because the figures represent estimates with reported uncertainty, not exact population counts for every category. Census Reporter provides margins of error for several Columbus measurements, including high school completion, bachelor's degree attainment, median age and residential mobility. Those margins help describe the precision of the reported estimates.

For example, Columbus's high school completion rate is 90.6% with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percentage points. The Georgia estimate is 89.8% with a smaller margin of error of plus or minus 0.6 points. Census Reporter describes those rates as approximately the same.

The bachelor's degree comparison shows a larger reported difference. Columbus's 27.8% estimate has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, while Georgia's 36.3% estimate has a margin of error of plus or minus 0.4 points. The reported difference between those estimates is 8.5 percentage points.

Readers can examine the Columbus profile at https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1319000-columbus-ga/ and the Georgia profile at https://censusreporter.org/profiles/04000US13-georgia/. The Census Bureau also provides access to statistical data through https://data.census.gov/. The figures cited here are the 2024 American Community Survey estimates displayed in the Census Reporter profiles.