What percentage of people rent in Columbia, MD?

Name: Renters and owners in Columbia, MD, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

35.2% (±1.8 points) of the occupied homes in Columbia, MD are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 14,478 renting households against 26,665 that own their home.

In Columbia, the share of households that rent went from 34.5% in 2015–2019 to 35.2% in 2020–2024 (+0.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 35.2% (±1.8 points)
Renting households: 14,478 (±787)
Median renter income: $89,831 (±$12,685)

Who rents and who owns in Columbia

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Columbia	Howard County	Maryland	United States
Renter-occupied share	35.2% (±1.8 points)	28.5% (±1.0 points)	32.4% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	14,478 (±787)	34,532 (±1,160)	765,363 (±6,619)	45,017,354
Owning households	26,665 (±1,017)	86,533 (±1,272)	1,597,565 (±8,362)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.3 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.1)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.6 (±0.1)	2.9 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$89,831 (±$12,685)	$86,111 (±$4,394)	$62,703 (±$866)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$162,856 (±$6,851)	$182,570 (±$3,497)	$129,423 (±$883)	$100,009

In Columbia, the renter share is higher than in Howard County (28.5%).

It is also higher than in Maryland (32.4%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In Howard County, Columbia ranks 4 of 8 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 129 of 388.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Columbia has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	34.5% (±1.6 points)	35.2% (±1.8 points)	+0.7 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,722 (±$28)	$2,042 (±$68)	+18.6%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$108,352 (±$2,741)	$131,490 (±$5,734)	+21.4%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Columbia

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Columbia
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Columbia	—	35.2% (±1.8 points)	—
Savage	4.3 mi	41.4% (±9.7 points)	Not measurably different
Fulton	4.4 mi	20.1% (±6.7 points)	Lower
Scaggsville	4.4 mi	7.7% (±5.8 points)	Lower
North Laurel	5.0 mi	37.7% (±4.2 points)	Not measurably different
Ilchester	5.3 mi	23.6% (±2.4 points)	Lower
Ellicott City	5.4 mi	28.0% (±2.1 points)	Lower
Jessup	5.7 mi	43.8% (±9.4 points)	Not measurably different
West Laurel	6.2 mi	4.4% (±3.9 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Fulton, MD (20.1%), Scaggsville, MD (7.7%), Ilchester, MD (23.6%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Howard County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Savage	41.4% (±9.7 points)
2 (tie)	Elkridge	37.7% (±3.4 points)
2 (tie)	North Laurel	37.7% (±4.2 points)
4	Columbia	35.2% (±1.8 points)
5	Ellicott City	28.0% (±2.1 points)
6	Ilchester	23.6% (±2.4 points)
7	Fulton	20.1% (±6.7 points)
8	Scaggsville	7.7% (±5.8 points)

Columbia is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Columbia

How many renters are there in Columbia?

Columbia has an estimated 14,478 (±787) renting households, 35.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Columbia?

In Columbia, the share of households that rent went from 34.5% in 2015–2019 to 35.2% in 2020–2024 (+0.7 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Columbia?

A renting household in Columbia has 2.3 people on average, against 2.6 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Columbia?

The median renting household in Columbia, MD has an income of $89,831 (±$12,685) a year, against $162,856 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Columbia CDP, Maryland (place:19125, in state:24).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.