Columbia County

County Business Patterns, 2023Forms the Lake City, FL micro areaPopulation 73,324

Columbia County had 20,689 private jobs in 1,492 establishments in March 2023, paying $51,200 on average, 15% below the Florida figure. Jobs in real estate and rental make up 0.8% of all local jobs, the lowest share of the 48 counties with at least 100 such jobs. Jobs in arts, entertainment and recreation make up 0.5% of all local jobs, the lowest share of the 43 counties with at least 100 such jobs.

Compare Columbia side by side with Lake or another county.

The largest industry, health care and social assistance, has 27% of Columbia County's jobs. Among its larger industries, pay runs from $20,739 a year in arts, entertainment and recreation to $74,298 in finance and insurance.

Pays above the county averagePays below itNot shown by industryCounty averageFlorida average

What stands out in Columbia County

Its establishments are large by Florida standards, 13.9 employees each on average (the 8th-highest).
The number of business establishments grew 6.3% since 2019, the 8th-slowest rate among the 67 counties.
Jobs in construction are 1.7 times as common here as across the 67 counties, 11.9% of all local jobs.
Jobs in health care and social assistance are 1.7 times as common here as across the 67 counties, 26.9% of all local jobs.
86.1% of its establishments have fewer than 20 employees, the 8th-lowest share among the 67 counties where size classes are published.

Where Columbia County ranks

The four measures on which Columbia County sits furthest from the middle county. It is furthest out on average annual pay, where it ranks 17th of 67.

Average annual pay$51,200

17thof 67

Jobs per 1,000 residents282

22ndof 67

Payroll per resident$14,446

22ndof 67

Job growth since 2019+7.9%

42ndof 67

ColumbiaOther countiesMiddle county

Every industry, line by line

18 industries published; health care and social assistance added the most jobs since 2019 (1,027), administrative and support services lost the most (511).

Industry	Jobs	Avg pay	Pay vs same industry statewide	Jobs since 2019
Health care & social assistance	5,560	$67,402	1.05×	+22.7%
Retail trade	3,234	$32,779	0.86×	+7.3%
Hotels & restaurants	2,745	$20,992	0.74×	−4.2%
Construction	2,466	$59,109	0.92×	+30.2%
Transportation & warehousing	1,296	$61,126	1.01×	+7.0%
Manufacturing	1,251	$60,273	0.89×	+39.3%
Wholesale trade	921	$68,214	0.86×	−10.7%
Administrative & support services	738	$42,213	0.72×	−40.9%
Other services	630	$32,829	0.83×	+15.8%
Professional & technical services	467	$63,899	0.71×	−28.4%
Finance & insurance	453	$74,298	0.70×	+3.2%
Educational services	315	$35,952	0.73×	+42.5%
Real estate & rental	171	$54,053	0.88×	+0.0%
Arts & recreation	111	$20,739	0.48×	+35.4%
Information	102	$54,206	0.53×	−30.6%
Management of companies	87	$48,954	0.48×	+16.0%
Utilities	70	$89,657	0.72×	+6.1%
Agriculture, forestry & fishing	69	$45,029	1.01×	−22.5%
All industries	20,689	$51,200	0.85×	+7.9%

Withheld by the Census Bureau: Mining & quarrying.

What sets Columbia County apart

Jobs in agriculture, forestry and fishing are 3.5 times as common here as across the 67 counties; arts, entertainment and recreation is the most under-represented, at 0.18×.

Business sizes

86.1% have fewer than 20 employees; 20 have 100 or more.

EmployeesEstablishments

1–4744

5–9314

10–19227

20–49146

50–9939

100–24914

250–4996

500–999withheld

1,000+withheld

Since 2019

Jobs +7.9%, residents +2.3% since March 2019.

Jobs20,6892019: 19,182+7.9%

Business establishments1,4922019: 1,403+6.3%

Average pay (nominal)$51,2002019: $40,796+25.5%

Residents73,3242019: 71,686+2.3%

Share of Florida

Fewer of Florida's jobs (0.26%) than of its residents (0.32%).

Residents0.32%

Businesses0.23%

Jobs0.26%

Payroll0.22%

Source: Census CBP 2023, 2022, 2019; Population Estimates. FIPS 12023. How to read County Business Patterns figures.