Columbia County, Florida
Columbia County
Columbia County is located in North Central Florida, along with Alachua, Madison, Hamilton, Taylor, Suwannee, Union, Bradford, Lafayette, Dixie, Levy, Gilchrist, and Marion counties. The incorporated cities in Columbia County are Fort White and Lake City. Columbia County?s population is over 67,000.
The largest industries providing employment for Columbia County are educational, health, and public services; retail trade; and public administration. Cost of living in Columbia County is relatively low at 83.2 compared the US average of 100. Major private sector employers are VA Medical Center, Sitel, PCS Phosphate- White Springs, TIMCO, and Anderson Columbia Company. Top public sector employers include Columbia County School District and Columbia County.
The largest employer in Columbia County is PCS Phosphate, whose production facility is actually in neighboring Hamilton County. What is in Lake City is the railroad shipment facility to ship out the 4 million tonnes of phosphate that White Springs produces annually. In addition to the rail facilities, Lake City?s location at the intersection of I-10 and I-75 gives it easy access to the rest of the state and cities such as Jacksonville, Tampa, and Atlanta. Indeed, Lake City considers itself the gateway to Florida.
Lake City is also home to the Lake City Gateway Airport and TIMCO maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility. Gateway is a general aviation airport that is home to the only U.S. Forestry Service fire support base in the Southeast U.S. The TIMCO facility includes six hangars specializing in airframe base maintenance.
Located next to the airport is Florida Gateway College. Originally Columbia Forestry School, the forest management program ceased in 2010 from lack of interest. Today, the student population is around 7,000.
Columbia County Florida Cities
There are 3 cities in Columbia County Florida. These are listed below. Click on a link for details.
Columbia County has a population of approximately 67,966 people. The population increased 0.6% from 2010 to 2012. This compared to a 2.7% increase for the State of Florida and a 1.7% increase for the country as a whole. Columbia County is 797.57 square miles and had a population density of 84.7 Persons per square mile in 2010. This compared to 350.6 for Florida and 87.4 for the country.
There are 28,910 housing units in Columbia County (a housing unit is defined by the US Census Bureau as a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room that is occupied as separate living quarters.) Columbia County has a 70.1% homeownership rate compared to Florida's rate of 69.0%. Columbia County's medium household income in 2011 was $38,589, which is lower than the medium income for Florida as a whole: $47,827.
| Region | Population 2012 | Economic Activity 2007 (Millions) | Population Growth 2010 to 2012 | Median Household Income 2011 | Housing Units | Median Price 2007 to 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 313,914,040 | $14,025,202 | 1.7% | $52,762 | 132,312,404 | $186,200 |
| Florida | 19,317,568 | $630,738 | 2.7% | $47,827 | 9,026,965 | $188,600 |
| Columbia County | 67,966 | $1,796 | 0.6% | $38,589 | 28,910 | $127,100 |
16.2% of the population in Columbia County lives below the poverty line, compared to 14.7% in Florida and 14.3% nationwide. Additional Information:
- Columbia County Census Data
- University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research - Columbia County
Columbia County Economic Activity
The U.S. Bureau of the Census, Economic , 2007 calculated the total value manufacturing, merchant wholesaler, retail sales and food service sales in Columbia County. The Census measured activity of large and medium-sized firms during calendar year 2007. It does not include every aspect of the economy but can be used as a measure of economic activity.
At $1,796 million, Columbia County's economic activity represents 0.28% of the Florida economy.
| Activity | Value (Millions) | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturers shipments | $351 | 19.6% |
| Merchant wholesaler sales | $479 | 26.7% |
| Retail sales | $862 | 48.0% |
| Accommodation and food services sales | $103 | 5.8% |
| Total | $1,796 | 100% |
Columbia County Regional Comparisons
Columbia County is located in North Central Florida. This region is responsible for 2.6% of Florida's economic activity. Columbia County represents 11.1% of the region's economy.
| Region | Population 2012 | Economic Activity 2007 (Millions) | Population Growth 2010 to 2012 | Median Household Income 2011 | Housing Units | Median Price 2007 to 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County | 18,907 | $137 | -1.7% | $36,557 | 8,499 | $94,100 |
| Hamilton County | 14,708 | $111 | -0.6% | $36,683 | 5,830 | $75,600 |
| Taylor County | 22,744 | $823 | 0.8% | $38,005 | 11,085 | $89,700 |
| Suwannee County | 43,656 | $494 | 5.1% | $37,775 | 19,417 | $108,900 |
| Union County | 15,212 | $53 | -2.1% | $45,645 | 4,566 | $113,500 |
| Bradford County | 27,049 | $253 | -5.2% | $41,397 | 11,083 | $121,400 |
| Lafayette County | 8,804 | $69 | -0.7% | $49,713 | 3,386 | $153,500 |
| Dixie County | 16,126 | $57 | -1.8% | $34,243 | 9,471 | $104,400 |
| Levy County | 40,025 | $572 | -1.9% | $35,920 | 20,350 | $108,400 |
| Gilchrist County | 16,815 | $63 | -0.7% | $38,467 | 7,367 | $119,600 |
| Alachua County | 251,417 | $3,646 | 1.6% | $41,373 | 113,371 | $185,100 |
| Marion County | 335,125 | $8,053 | 1.2% | $40,103 | 164,037 | $142,000 |
| Columbia County | 67,966 | $1,796 | 0.6% | $38,589 | 28,910 | $127,100 |
| Total | 878,554 | $16,126 | -0.4% | $39,575 | 407,372 | $118,715 |
Columbia Real Estate
There are 49,920 properties in Columbia County. The following table shows a summary of them based on 2013 sales data.
| Usage Type | Property Count | % | Sales Count | Median Price | Median Price/Ft | Sales From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Property | 0 | 0.00 | 18 | $53,500 | $41 | February 1st, 2013 | October 1st, 2013 |
Residential Real Estate in Columbia County, Florida
0( .00%) of the properties in Columbia County are classified as Residential. 18 of them sold between February 1st, 2013 and October 1st, 2013. The total value of these sales was $1,088,100. The median sales price was $53,500. In 2013 the median sales price for A Class Residential Property in Columbia County was $60 per sq ft, B Class properties sold for $41/ft and C Class $13/ft.
Additional Details:
Columbia Market Data
| Property Usage | Property Count | Total Sq Ft |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural | 4,121 | 7,061,587 |
| Government Property | 296 | 8,534,667 |
| Hotel & Motel | 797 | 655,384 |
| Industrial | 273 | 13,134,557 |
| Land | 3,826 | 1,125,263 |
| Miscellaneous Property | 38 | 103,679 |
| Mobile/Manufactured | 12,023 | 18,100,963 |
| Multifamily | 653 | 3,866,150 |
| Office | 493 | 2,123,825 |
| Residential | 30,902 | 62,349,570 |
| Retail | 718 | 5,844,303 |
| Senior Housing | 13 | 516,796 |
| Special Purpose | 514 | 4,094,259 |
| Sports & Entertaining | 48 | 303,603 |