May we count your visit with Google Analytics? It uses cookies and sends visit data to Google. You can change this any time under Cookie choices. Privacy

Where am ILOCATED

Columbia, SC Metro Area

The Columbia, SC metro area is made up of 6 counties in South Carolina: Richland, Lexington, Kershaw, Fairfield, Saluda, and Calhoun, largest first. About 879,918 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 6.1% more than in April 2020.

Calhoun County, outlyingFairfield County, outlyingKershaw County, outlyingLexington County, centralRichland County, centralSaluda County, outlyingColumbia
Central Outlying 6 counties in South Carolina
Population, July 2025
879,918 6.1% more than in April 2020
Type
Metropolitan statistical area
Counties
6: 2 central, 4 outlying
Land area
3,703 sq mi (9,591 km²)
Time zone
Eastern TimeUTC-05:00 in January; UTC-04:00 in July
State
South Carolina
Combined statistical area
Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC
CBSA code
17900
Open this area in the metro area finder

Counties in the Columbia, SC metro area, largest first

CountyRolePopulation, July 2025Share of the area
Richland CountyCentral434,95649.4%
Lexington CountyCentral317,58836.1%
Kershaw CountyOutlying73,1668.3%
Fairfield CountyOutlying20,3402.3%
Saluda CountyOutlying19,6802.2%
Calhoun CountyOutlying14,1881.6%

A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. An outlying county is in the area because of commuting: at least a quarter of its workers have jobs in the central counties, or at least a quarter of the people working there live in them. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.

Principal city

  1. Columbia139,643 people

OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.

Part of the Columbia-Sumter-Orangeburg, SC combined statistical area

OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other 3 areas in this one, largest first:

  1. Sumter, SC Metro Area105,067 people
  2. Orangeburg, SC Micro Area83,177 people
  3. Newberry, SC Micro Area39,561 people

Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first

Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.

  1. Sumter, SC Metro Area30 mi east
  2. Orangeburg, SC Micro Area38 mi south
  3. Newberry, SC Micro Area43 mi northwest
  4. Florence, SC Metro Area64 mi east
  5. Greenwood, SC Micro Area72 mi west
  6. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area81 mi north
  7. Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metro Area82 mi southwest
  8. Spartanburg, SC Metro Area85 mi northwest

Before using this answer on a form

A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.

Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.

See this area on Census.gov ↗