The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 6 local governments in Columbia County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
2
0
School districts (school boards)
1
1
Special districts (elected boards)
2
0
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Columbia County
162,434people
37.9median ageU.S.: 38.9
$95,592 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
7.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
38.5%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$305,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
7.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
14%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
9.3%U.S.: 8.4%
49.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
20.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 8% · White 63.2% · Black 18.7% · Asian 4.7% · Other or more than one race 5.4% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Columbia County
3.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.2%. Georgia: 3.5%.
74,752people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
77,429in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.5%
2,677
74,752
77,429
August 2026
3.3%
2,516
73,964
76,480
July 2026
3.1%
2,361
73,904
76,265
June 2026
3.4%
2,638
74,098
76,736
May 2026
3.0%
2,274
74,161
76,435
April 2026
2.6%
1,979
75,081
77,060
March 2026
3.2%
2,421
73,599
76,020
February 2026
3.4%
2,597
73,170
75,767
January 2026
3.3%
2,509
72,787
75,296
December 2025
3.0%
2,257
73,171
75,428
November 2025
3.4%
2,578
72,767
75,345
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.2%
2,409
72,861
75,270
August 2025
3.5%
2,640
72,235
74,875
July 2025
3.4%
2,550
72,356
74,906
June 2025
3.5%
2,619
72,481
75,100
May 2025
3.1%
2,308
72,832
75,140
April 2025
2.6%
2,027
74,655
76,682
March 2025
3.2%
2,408
73,198
75,606
February 2025
3.3%
2,496
72,562
75,058
January 2025
3.3%
2,457
72,423
74,880
December 2024
2.9%
2,154
72,394
74,548
November 2024
3.2%
2,390
71,816
74,206
October 2024
3.5%
2,565
71,541
74,106
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.2%
2,432
72,867
75,299
2024
3.3%
2,469
72,265
74,734
2023
3.2%
2,336
71,542
73,878
2022
3.0%
2,214
70,453
72,667
2021
2.9%
2,087
69,873
71,960
2020
4.5%
3,135
66,984
70,119
2019
3.3%
2,370
68,404
70,774
2018
3.7%
2,611
67,481
70,092
2017
4.4%
3,062
66,461
69,523
2016
5.0%
3,288
62,954
66,242
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Georgia's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.3% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Columbia County
48.2 per 100,0002018. Georgia: 338.9.
1,307.9 per 100,0002018. Georgia: 2,642.9.
2murders2018, 75 violent crimes in all.
2018 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2018
75
48.2
2,034
1,307.9
2017
76
50.1
2,252
1,484.0
2016
77
52.0
2,159
1,458.3
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Columbia County Sheriff's Office
2025
105
797
147,725
Grovetown Police Department
2023
29
74
17,794
Harlem Police Department
2023
4
9
4,143
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Georgia · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.37 per 1,000 residents2024, 3 agencies serving 168,748 people.
231sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.
137civilian staff2024, full-time.
2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (3), 2024
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Columbia County Sheriff's Office
204
127
146,451
Grovetown Police Department
19
8
18,169
Harlem Police Department
8
2
4,128
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2024
231
1.37
137
3
2023
297
1.79
86
3
2022
233
1.43
134
3
2019
307
1.94
71
3
2018
326
2.10
89
3
2017
308
2.03
87
3
2016
270
1.82
110
3
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Columbia County Clerk of Superior Court?
Cindy Mason (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Columbia County, Georgia.
Who is the Columbia County Coroner?
Terry Norman (Republican) is the Coroner of Columbia County, Georgia.
Who is the Columbia County Probate Judge?
Alice Wheatley Padgett (Republican) is the Probate Judge of Columbia County, Georgia.
Who is the Columbia County Sheriff?
Clay Whittle (Republican) is the Sheriff of Columbia County, Georgia.
Who is the Columbia County Tax Commissioner?
Wayne Bridges (Republican) is the Tax Commissioner of Columbia County, Georgia.
Who are the Columbia County commissioners?
Jim Steed (District 2); Michael W. Carraway (District 3).
Who is on the Columbia County School Board?
Judy Simmons Teasley (Board of Education Member, District 3).
What is the population of Columbia County?
About 162,434 people, with a median age of 37.9; the median household income is $95,592 and 7.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Columbia County?
3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 2,677 people unemployed in a labor force of 77,429, against 3.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Columbia County?
6 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 1 school district and 2 special district governments.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Georgia Secretary of State's official results of each seat's last election (the November 2024 general, or a special election since), and for seats up in 2026 whose 2022 result the SOS site doesn't carry, the incumbent the SOS marks on that seat's 2026 primary, nonpartisan or November contest; officials appointed since then may differ; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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