2020 census As of the
2020 census, West Columbia had a population of 17,416 people, 8,138 households, and 3,764 families residing in the city. The median age was 40.4 years; 17.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.4 males age 18 and over. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas. Of the 8,138 households, 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 31.1% were married-couple households, 25.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 40.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 9,068 housing units, of which 10.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%.
2000 census As of the
census of 2000, there were 13,064 people, 5,968 households, and 3,300 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,436 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 74.54%
White, 19.81%
African American, 0.28%
Native American, 1.71%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 2.04% from
other races, and 1.61% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 4.66% of the population. There were 5,968 households, out of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were
married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.76. In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.8% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,999, and the median income for a family was $40,253. Males had a median income of $30,033 versus $24,637 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $18,135. About 12.8% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over. West Columbia is the home of Glenforest School. ==Education==