Columbia County, New York: commercial real estate data.
Columbia County, New York has a population of 61,100 across 635 square miles, down 2.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.46 bn in 2024, 1,819 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 79 7(a) approvals worth $21.0 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Columbia County
How many people live in Columbia County
- Population61,100
- Households26,627
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$81,528
- Median age49.8
- Median gross rent$1,260 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$347,100
- Home value to household income4.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher39.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree20.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over47,481
- Population under 189,724
- Share under 1815.9 percent
- Population 65 and over16,023
- Share 65 and over26.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6435,353
- Civilian labor force30,385
- Unemployment rate5.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over59.1 percent
- Rank by population among New York counties40th of 62
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents884th
Columbia County is the 40th largest of 62 New York counties by population. A median home costs 4.3 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 26.2 percent against 15.9 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Columbia County
Is Columbia County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.07 percent
- Census 2020 base population61,571
- Births, 2024457
- Deaths, 2024751
- Natural change, 2024-294
- Net domestic migration, 2024-200
- Net international migration, 2024182
- Total net migration, 2024-18
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-410
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2512th
The county has lost 2.07 percent of its population since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Columbia County
Where people moving to Columbia County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,631
- People arriving, from those returns2,530
- Adjusted gross income arriving$213.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$130,673
- Largest single originColumbia County Non-migrants (25,097 households)
- Largest single destination (25,097 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County Non-migrants | 25,097 | 45,503 | $2.67 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 451 | 678 | $51.1 m |
| New York County | 182 | 282 | $61.0 m |
| Other flows - Northeast | 177 | 246 | $16.9 m |
| Kings County | 174 | 265 | $31.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 149 | 235 | $20.4 m |
| Dutchess County | 148 | 240 | $11.0 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 127 | 191 | $13.5 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Columbia County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Columbia County
What the Columbia County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.46 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.37 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.8 percent
- GDP change over five years27.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among New York counties41st
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents896th
- GDP per resident$56,710
Output grew 2.8 percent in the latest year and 27.2 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Columbia County
Who employs people in Columbia County
- Covered employment, annual average20,888
- Establishments reporting2,212
- Average annual pay$56,241
- Average weekly wage$1,082
- Sector 62, employment3,911
- Sector 62, average annual pay$54,995
- Sector 44-45, employment2,729
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$40,577
- Sector 72, employment2,017
- Sector 72, average annual pay$31,979
- Sector 31-33, employment1,504
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$63,282
- Sector 23, employment1,252
- Sector 81, employment615
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 3,911 | 176 | $54,995 |
| Sector 44-45 | 2,729 | 239 | $40,577 |
| Sector 72 | 2,017 | 195 | $31,979 |
| Sector 31-33 | 1,504 | 109 | $63,282 |
| Sector 23 | 1,252 | 253 | $62,991 |
| Sector 81 | 615 | 174 | $43,007 |
| Sector 54 | 613 | 206 | $102,468 |
| Sector 56 | 424 | 124 | $51,301 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,911 jobs, 18.7 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Columbia County
What businesses operate in Columbia County
- Establishments, all industries1,819
- Employment at those establishments16,420
- Annual payroll$818.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents29.8
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Columbia County
What is being built in Columbia County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024137
- Declared construction value permitted$53.8 m
- Single family units authorised137
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$392,956
- Units authorised per 1,000 households5.1
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Columbia County
How much SBA lending happens in Columbia County
- 7(a) approvals recorded79
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$21.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$265,938
- Median 7(a) approval$100,000
- 10th percentile approval$15,000
- 90th percentile approval$889,000
- Largest single approval$2,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)429
- Jobs per approval5.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active31
- Distinct industries receiving approvals53
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer17.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms14
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter64
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countJanitorial Services (5)
- Most active lenderKeyBank National Association (13)
- 504 approvals recorded21
- 504 gross approval dollars$7.3 m
- Average 504 approval$345,905
- Median 504 approval$253,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval6.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved19.4
- Most active CDCEmpire State Certified Development Corporation (21)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals79.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$28.3 m
The average approval of $265,938 sits well above the median of $100,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 17.7 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Columbia County
Do SBA loans in Columbia County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded13
- Paid in full11
- Charged off2
- Charge off rate on resolved loans15.4 percent
- Status: Charged off2
- Status: Paid in full11
- Status: Cancelled14
- Status: Exempt from disclosure49
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed3
Of the 13 loans that have reached a final outcome, 15.4 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Columbia County
Which parts of Columbia County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending22
- Hudson, approvals23
- Valatie, approvals10
- GERMANTOWN, approvals8
- GHENT, approvals6
- New Lebanon, approvals4
- CHATHAM, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Hudson | 23 | $3,576,000 |
| Valatie | 10 | $4,450,700 |
| GERMANTOWN | 8 | $601,900 |
| GHENT | 6 | $1,376,000 |
| New Lebanon | 4 | $1,429,000 |
| CHATHAM | 3 | $678,000 |
| KINDERHOOK | 3 | $225,000 |
| HILLSDALE | 3 | $1,414,700 |
Hudson accounts for 23 approvals against 10 in Valatie. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Columbia County
How big is Columbia County
- Land area635 sq mi
- Rank by land area among New York counties35th of 62
- Width, east to west29.6 mi
- Height, north to south36.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land96
- Establishments per square mile2.86
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Columbia County
What hazards affect Columbia County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book22
- Of those, participating in the NFIP22
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Columbia County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Columbia County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population61,100
- Households26,627
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$81,528
- Median age49.8
Common questions
Columbia County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Columbia County, New York?
61,100, in 26,627 households, ranking 40th of 62 New York counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Columbia County growing?
The population has fallen 2.07 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 457 births against 751 deaths, with net migration of -18. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Columbia County?
$81,528. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $347,100, which is 4.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,260 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Columbia County?
1,819 establishments, employing 16,420 people with an annual payroll of $818.1 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Columbia County?
Average annual pay is $56,241, or $1,082 a week, across 20,888 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Columbia County?
79 7(a) approvals totalling $21.0 m since FY2020, across 31 lenders, with a median approval of $100,000, plus 21 504 approvals worth $7.3 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Columbia County get paid back?
Of the 13 loans that have reached a final outcome, 11 were paid in full and 2 charged off, a charge off rate of 15.4 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Columbia County?
137 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $53.8 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Columbia County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Columbia County come from?
The largest single origin is Columbia County Non-migrants, with 25,097 households. Arriving households report an average income of $130,673 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Columbia County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Columbia County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.