County outline
Where Columbia County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.5% of Columbia County’s measured area and water for 1.5%. Its combined area converts to 1,270.2 square kilometers or approximately 313,876 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 483.259 | 1,251.635 | 309,285.8 |
| Water | 7.172 | 18.575 | 4,590.1 |
| Total | 490.431 | 1,270.21 | 313,875.8 |
How Columbia County compares
By original Census land area, Columbia County ranks #46 of 67 in Pennsylvania and #2142 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.74 times the Pennsylvania county-equivalent median of 653.3 square miles. It accounts for 1.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Pennsylvania ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Columbia County
The Census Bureau estimates that 66,193 people lived in Columbia County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #843 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #38 of 67 in Pennsylvania. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 64,720, the population has grown by 1,473 (+2.3%), compared with +0.4% for Pennsylvania as a whole.
With 483.3 square miles of land, that is 137 people per square mile (53 per km²), placing Columbia County #818 nationally for density and #35 in Pennsylvania. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Pennsylvania median is 137. Put another way, there are about 4.7 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 64,681 | 64,981 | 65,358 | 65,768 | 65,997 | 66,193 |
| Change | — | +300 | +377 | +410 | +229 | +196 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Columbia County
Columbia County is divided into 34 municipalities and townships. In Pennsylvania, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Bloomsburg town, with 13,375 residents (20.2% of the county). The largest by land is Beaver township, at 35.4 mi², or 7.3% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Bloomsburg town grew fastest since then (+5.2%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomsburg townCounty seat | 13,375 | +5.2% | 4.348 | 0.9% |
| Berwick borough | 10,297 | −0.4% | 3.074 | 0.6% |
| Scott township | 5,652 | +2.5% | 6.959 | 1.4% |
| Briar Creek township | 3,044 | +1.7% | 20.9 | 4.3% |
| Mifflin township | 2,365 | +4.7% | 19.2 | 4% |
| Hemlock township | 2,326 | +5.1% | 17.6 | 3.6% |
| North Centre township | 2,139 | +5.1% | 15 | 3.1% |
| South Centre township | 1,929 | +1.1% | 5.432 | 1.1% |
| Greenwood township | 1,908 | +1.6% | 28.3 | 5.9% |
| Fishing Creek township | 1,577 | +3.4% | 28.4 | 5.9% |
| Madison township | 1,570 | +0.5% | 35.2 | 7.3% |
| Catawissa borough | 1,539 | −0.2% | 0.513 | 0.1% |
| Mount Pleasant township | 1,519 | +0.9% | 16.7 | 3.5% |
| Locust township | 1,456 | +1.1% | 17.8 | 3.7% |
| Benton township | 1,367 | +4% | 19.7 | 4.1% |
Show the other 19 subdivisions
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main township | 1,290 | +1.5% | 16.1 |
| Montour township | 1,260 | +0.3% | 9.155 |
| Orange township | 1,184 | +2.1% | 12.9 |
| Cleveland township | 1,154 | +1.9% | 23.2 |
| Pine township | 1,023 | +1.2% | 26.4 |
| Millville borough | 980 | +0.4% | 0.981 |
| Catawissa township | 918 | +1.2% | 12.4 |
| Sugarloaf township | 896 | +1.7% | 26.2 |
| Beaver township | 890 | +2.2% | 35.4 |
| Benton borough | 819 | −0.5% | 0.597 |
| Conyngham township | 685 | −0.7% | 20.5 |
| Jackson township | 629 | +1% | 18.4 |
| Briar Creek borough | 608 | +1.8% | 1.651 |
| Roaring Creek township | 565 | +0.9% | 23.5 |
| Franklin township | 550 | +1.3% | 13.1 |
| Orangeville borough | 476 | −0.2% | 0.445 |
| Stillwater borough | 199 | 0% | 3.114 |
| Centralia borough | 4 | 0% | 0.239 |
| Ashland borough | 0 | — | 0.014 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Columbia County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Columbia County is a central county of the Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Columbia County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 483.3 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #442 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #133 by population. It belongs to the Bloomsburg-Berwick-Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
20 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Columbia County; 13 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
1775617774178141781517820178211782417846178581785917878178881792017921179451798518603186311863518655
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Columbia County
Columbia County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 3 of them. The largest neighbor is Lycoming County (1,228.9 mi²) and the smallest is Montour County (130.3 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Columbia County forms a block of 4,418.8 mi² of land, of which it holds 10.9%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Columbia | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lycoming County | 1,228.9 | 2.5× larger | Compare |
| Luzerne County | 889.9 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Schuylkill County | 778.8 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Northumberland County | 457.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Sullivan County | 449.9 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Montour County | 130.3 | 3.7× smaller | Compare |
How big is Columbia County compared with U.S. states?
Columbia County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.1 times as much. Pennsylvania’s county land could hold about 93 areas the size of Columbia County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 22 miles (35.4 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Columbia County?
Columbia County has more land than 1,080 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Columbia County at #2,218 nationally by total area, 76 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 1.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.3 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Columbia County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2141 | Cumberland County, New Jersey | 483.4 | Compare |
| #2142 | Columbia County, Pennsylvania | 483.3 | This county |
| #2143 | Patrick County, Virginia | 483 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 41.044033, -76.397089. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,251,636,164 m²; AWATER: 18,574,478 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Columbia County?
Columbia County, Pennsylvania has 483.3 square miles (1,251.6 km²) of land and 7.172 square miles of water, for a total area of 490.4 square miles. It ranks #2142 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Columbia County the largest county in Pennsylvania?
No. Columbia County ranks #46 of 67 in Pennsylvania by land area. The largest is Lycoming County, with 1,228.9 square miles of land.
What counties border Columbia County?
Columbia County shares a land border with Luzerne County, Montour County, Schuylkill County, Lycoming County, Northumberland County, and Sullivan County.
What is the population of Columbia County?
The Census Bureau estimates Columbia County had 66,193 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #843 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 137 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Columbia County?
The county seat of Columbia County is Bloomsburg.
What cities and towns are in Columbia County?
Columbia County has 34 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Bloomsburg town, Berwick borough, Scott township, Briar Creek township, and Mifflin township.
Is Columbia County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Columbia County?
20 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Columbia County, and 13 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Columbia County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Columbia County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 309,286 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 313,876 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.