Jobs, pay and daily life in Columbia, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Columbia is a city in Missouri with 128,548 residents. The median household earns $66,498 a year and the median rent is $1,097 a month, which is 19.8% of the median household income. It is part of the Columbia, MO metropolitan area, where BLS counts 107,680 jobs.
How Columbia compares. Among the 80 largest places in Missouri, Columbia is #4 by population, #70 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #11 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #12 for college degrees (#1 = most). Its county, Boone County, is #6 of 115 counties for average pay ($59,677).
Columbia has 128,548 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 2.1% of the population of Missouri. It covers 68 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,903 people per square mile. The median age is 29.5, 24% younger than the state median (29.5 against 39.0).
The median gross rent is $1,097 a month (rent plus utilities), 6% above the state median ($1,097 against $1,033). Over a year that is 19.8% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $284,600, which is 4.3 times the median household income ($66,498). 48.7% of households own their home, 29% below the state average (48.7% against 68.1%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Columbia, MO metropolitan area has 107,680 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $47,260 a year, 7% below the national median ($47,260 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (12,380 jobs, median $44,730); food preparation and serving related (11,190 jobs, median $29,680); healthcare practitioners and technical (10,390 jobs, median $77,400). The area is most specialised in healthcare practitioners and technical (1.5 times) and educational instruction and library (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($97,490) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($77,400). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Boone County was 2.7%. 65.8% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Boone County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 73.7% drive alone, 1.2% use public transit, 5.4% walk, 10.0% work from home. 4.2% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 64% below the state average (4.2% against 11.5%).
56.7% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 75% above the state share (56.7% against 32.4%). 8.1% of residents were born outside the United States, 80% above the state share (8.1% against 4.5%). The poverty rate is 19.2%, 53% above the state rate (19.2% against 12.6%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 79°F (26.2°C), and the coolest is Jan at 28°F (-2.1°C). About 1,044 mm (41 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; May is the wettest month (122 mm) and Jan the driest (49 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Fulton (21 miles, rent 24% lower); Jefferson City (27 miles, rent 27% lower); Mexico (29 miles, rent 37% lower); Moberly (33 miles, rent 29% lower). Rent differences are against Columbia; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Missouri (984) →State guide: MissouriCountry guideBoone CountyMissouri rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 984 federal postings open in Missouri (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Missouri →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 3,680 | 1.57 | $84,330 | $63,080 | $105,790 | -14% |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,440 | 1.42 | $75,410 | $38,900 | $167,640 | -29% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 3,000 | 1.01 | $36,860 | $28,600 | $45,280 | +3% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,610 | 0.97 | $31,390 | $28,600 | $44,210 | -11% |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 2,470 | 5.57 | $29,110 | $28,600 | $35,140 | -6% |
| Cashiers | 2,340 | 1.09 | $29,910 | $28,600 | $36,050 | -9% |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,330 | 1.37 | $44,730 | $29,580 | $64,500 | -1% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 2,120 | 1.35 | $29,250 | $28,600 | $58,960 | -17% |
| Nursing Assistants | 2,040 | 2.03 | $41,290 | $32,260 | $47,530 | -2% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,880 | 0.96 | $34,720 | $29,480 | $47,130 | -7% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,870 | 1.04 | $41,210 | $31,620 | $62,430 | -8% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,410 | 0.53 | $29,390 | $28,600 | $36,640 | -6% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,350 | 1.14 | $39,680 | $31,100 | $61,110 | -17% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,290 | 1.22 | $45,870 | $28,600 | $66,030 | -8% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,270 | 0.83 | $35,510 | $29,340 | $45,180 | -4% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,250 | 0.61 | $38,070 | $30,880 | $50,910 | -5% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 990 | 1.02 | $35,240 | $28,750 | $44,420 | -6% |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 990 | 1.31 | $61,600 | $49,150 | $105,160 | -26% |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 950 | 1.29 | $58,720 | $44,600 | $77,160 | -18% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 930 | 0.93 | $61,670 | $42,340 | $91,560 | -11% |
These figures are for the whole Columbia, MO metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $47,260 (US $50,980); unemployment 2.7% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 37.6% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 12.0% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 9.5% |
| Retail trade | 8.9% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 8.1% |
| Manufacturing | 6.0% |
| Other services | 4.0% |
| Public administration | 4.0% |
| Construction | 3.4% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 2.9% |
| Information | 1.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.2% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.6% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Columbia lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County | 188,043 | $13,935 million | $74,104 | 98,657 | 5,144 | $59,677 | +0.2% | 2.7% | 103,746 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 12,094 | 18.7% | $56,226 | 0.86 |
| Accommodation and food services | 10,504 | 16.3% | $22,529 | 1.17 |
| Retail trade | 10,393 | 16.1% | $36,888 | 1.05 |
| Finance and insurance | 5,944 | 9.2% | $94,284 | 1.48 |
| Manufacturing | 4,925 | 7.6% | $63,951 | 0.61 |
| Construction | 3,789 | 5.9% | $70,505 | 0.73 |
| Professional and technical services | 3,771 | 5.8% | $69,195 | 0.55 |
| Management of companies | 2,861 | 4.4% | $83,056 | 1.72 |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,850 | 4.4% | $40,786 | 0.49 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 2,386 | 3.7% | $45,242 | 0.80 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,433 | 2.2% | $50,772 | 0.94 |
| Educational services | 1,319 | 2.0% | $39,287 | 0.65 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,266 | 2.0% | $19,077 | 0.76 |
| Information | 1,075 | 1.7% | $77,352 | 0.58 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 73.7% |
| Public transit | 1.2% |
| Walk | 5.4% |
| Work from home | 10.0% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 4.2% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,498 |
| Income per person | $39,340 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,097 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 19.8% |
| Median home value | $284,600 |
| Homeowners | 48.7% |
| Poverty rate | 19.2% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 89.4 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $47,260 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 4.70%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 29.5 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 95.7% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 56.7% |
| Born abroad | 8.1% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 65.8% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -2.1 | 28 | 49 |
| Feb | -0.4 | 31 | 49 |
| Mar | 6.3 | 43 | 80 |
| Apr | 12.7 | 55 | 112 |
| May | 18.1 | 65 | 122 |
| Jun | 23.7 | 75 | 115 |
| Jul | 26.2 | 79 | 113 |
| Aug | 25.4 | 78 | 106 |
| Sep | 20.7 | 69 | 89 |
| Oct | 13.1 | 56 | 94 |
| Nov | 6.3 | 43 | 61 |
| Dec | 0.4 | 33 | 54 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton | MO | 21 mi | 12,617 | $51,429 | $836 |
| Jefferson City | MO | 27 mi | 42,488 | $66,371 | $802 |
| Mexico | MO | 29 mi | 11,477 | $50,873 | $686 |
| Moberly | MO | 33 mi | 13,526 | $44,145 | $774 |
| Marshall | MO | 48 mi | 13,739 | $54,437 | $761 |
| Sedalia | MO | 52 mi | 22,003 | $50,990 | $877 |
| Hannibal | MO | 73 mi | 16,771 | $53,721 | $805 |
| Troy | MO | 73 mi | 13,947 | $79,012 | $1,033 |
| Rolla | MO | 76 mi | 20,287 | $46,204 | $789 |
| Washington | MO | 76 mi | 15,130 | $79,173 | $827 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
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128,548 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,097 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 19.8% of the median household income.
$66,498 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
2.7% (BLS county, Boone County (latest month 2026M09)).
Missouri. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.