Columbia is a community in Howard County, Maryland, home to about 104,338 people across 32 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 21029, 21044, 21045 and 21046.
Homes sold for a median of $253 per square foot across 4 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and all of them were seller’s markets.
Mostly Columbia
Mostly Columbia
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Columbia. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Columbia’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)11 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Baltimore, MD15 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Philadelphia, PA108 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Columbia; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Columbia had 104,681 residents in the 2020 census, up 19% since 2000.
It’s the 2nd largest of 527 towns in Maryland by population.
Howard County grew from 16,715 residents in 1900 to 332,317 in 2020.
Howard County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 89°F in summer, and winter lows average 26°F. About 47.5 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Laurel 3 W, MD weather station (8 miles away).
185,946 jobs at 10,050 businesses in Howard County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
2,826 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Columbia’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 259 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 425 |
| Dentists | 165 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 527 |
| Mental health providers | 1,041 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 338 |
| Optometrists | 29 |
| Chiropractors | 42 |
| Pharmacies | 60 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (29 nearby)
Grocery stores (11 nearby)
Pharmacies (8 nearby)
Libraries (3 nearby)
Museums (2 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (3 nearby)
Counts are within about 4 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1967.
Colleges and universities
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Howard County Public Schools. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atholton ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 516 | Public | 1.0 mi |
| Bryant Woods ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 366 | Public | 1.4 mi |
| Cradlerock ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 453 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Guilford ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 437 | Public | 2.8 mi |
| Jeffers Hill ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 406 | Public | 2.1 mi |
| Longfellow ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 446 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| Phelps Luck ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 681 | Public | 2.9 mi |
| Pointers Run ElementaryClarksville | Pre-K–5 | 835 | Public | 3.3 mi |
| Running Brook ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 407 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| Stevens Forest ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 314 | Public | 1.1 mi |
| Swansfield ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 594 | Public | 1.7 mi |
| Talbott Springs ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 461 | Public | 1.4 mi |
| Waterloo ElementaryColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 666 | Public | 3.6 mi |
| Clarksville ElementaryClarksville | K–5 | 543 | Public | 3.7 mi |
| Clemens Crossing ElementaryColumbia | K–5 | 481 | Public | 0.6 mi |
| Thunder Hill ElementaryColumbia | K–5 | 459 | Public | 2.6 mi |
| Clarksville MiddleClarksville | 6–8 | 679 | Public | 3.3 mi |
| Harpers Choice MiddleColumbia | 6–8 | 471 | Public | 2.1 mi |
| Lake Elkhorn MiddleColumbia | 6–8 | 569 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Oakland Mills MiddleColumbia | 6–8 | 415 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| Wilde Lake MiddleColumbia | 6–8 | 643 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Atholton HighColumbia | 9–12 | 1,540 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| Hammond HighColumbia | 9–12 | 1,159 | Public | 2.3 mi |
| Long Reach HighColumbia | 9–12 | 1,334 | Public | 2.9 mi |
| Oakland Mills HighColumbia | 9–12 | 1,413 | Public | 1.5 mi |
| River Hill HighClarksville | 9–12 | 1,383 | Public | 3.6 mi |
| Wilde Lake HighColumbia | 9–12 | 1,197 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atholton Adventist AcademyColumbia | Pre-K–12 | 206 | Seventh-day Adventist | 0.6 mi |
| Aya CenterColumbia | Pre-K–5 | 64 | Nonsectarian | 1.2 mi |
| Brookfield Christian SchoolClarksville | Pre-K–K | 14 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 4.3 mi |
| Bryant Woods Montessori Childrens HouseColumbia | Pre-K–K | 2 | Nonsectarian | 1.5 mi |
| Columbia Montessori SchoolColumbia | Pre-K–1 | 4 | Nonsectarian | 1.6 mi |
| Journey SchoolColumbia | Pre-K–7 | 31 | Nonsectarian | 1.2 mi |
| Julia Brown SchoolColumbia | Pre-K–3 | 44 | Nonsectarian | 0.8 mi |
| Northcrest MontessoriClarksville | Pre-K–K | 7 | Nonsectarian | 4.2 mi |
| St Louis SchoolClarksville | Pre-K–8 | 497 | Roman Catholic | 4.3 mi |
| Columbia AcademyColumbia | TK–8 | 173 | Nonsectarian | 1.5 mi |
| Spartek AcademyColumbia | K–9 | 21 | Nonsectarian | 2.9 mi |
| The Mandala School IncColumbia | K–8 | 51 | Other religious | 0.7 mi |
| Fusion ColumbiaColumbia | 7–12 | 75 | Nonsectarian | 1.2 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.