Columbus, GA
Muscogee County · Georgia · United States
Home to 19,521 people across 9.975 square miles.
At a glance
31903 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 31903 is
| Coordinates | 32.416037, -84.952525 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| County | Muscogee County |
| State | Georgia (GA) |
| Land area | 9.975 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/New_York
Current weather
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Atlanta, GA | 97.7 mi |
|---|---|
| Miami, FL | 542.1 mi |
| Houston, TX | 642.8 mi |
| Chicago, IL | 670.1 mi |
People
Who lives in 31903
19,521 residents in 7,768 households, averaging 2.51 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 30.4% of residents, and 40.3% of households are a single person living alone.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 7,768 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.51 |
| Family households | 52.9% |
| Living alone | 40.3% |
| Median age | 33 years |
| Households with internet | 76.6% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 31903
The median household here earns $29,488 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 31903 ahead of 2% of American ZIP codes. 39.3% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $29,488 ±$2,713 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $16,647 |
| Poverty rate | 39.3% |
| Unemployment rate | 11.0% |
| Labor force participation | 51.9% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 8.2% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 76.3% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 31903
A typical home is valued at $75,500, and median rent runs $873 a month. This is a renter-majority area — 72.6% of occupied homes are rented, and the typical building went up in 1965.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $75,500 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $873/mo |
| Median year built | 1965 |
| Housing units | 9,593 |
| Vacancy rate | 19.0% |
Own vs. rent
Of 7,768 occupied units
| Owner households | 2,128 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 5,640 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 31903 commutes
69.5% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 22.9 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 22.9 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 31903
ZIP code 31903 is assigned to Columbus, GA, and falls within Muscogee County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 19,521 people live inside it.
At 1,957 residents per square mile spread over 9.975 square miles, 31903 reads as a suburban area. It is a mid-sized postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings are well below the national median. At $29,488, 31903 ranks among the lower-income postal codes, ahead of 2% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Columbus looks like
Housing in 31903 costs well below the national median. A typical home is valued at $75,500 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $873 a month. This is firmly renter territory — 72.6% of occupied homes are rented, a pattern typical of city centres, student areas and neighbourhoods with a lot of apartment stock.
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 55.0% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1965, making the housing here mid-century.
The population skews younger than the country as a whole, with a median age of 33 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.51 people, and 52.9% are family households.
Getting to work takes 22.9 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 69.5% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Columbus, GA
Columbus is largely suburban in character. Accommodation here skews toward mid-range chain hotels and extended-stay properties positioned near highway junctions and business parks, which suits anyone driving in or visiting for work rather than sightseeing.
Local costs are modest — median rent here is $873 a month — and accommodation prices in the area tend to be correspondingly reasonable. For reference, Atlanta, GA is about 97.7 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 31903 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 31903 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 31903 offers a compact profile of Columbus: 19,521 residents, a median household income of $29,488, 8.2% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 11.0%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 31903 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Columbus may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 31903
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every Georgia ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
Other ZIP codes in Columbus
Columbus is served by 14 postal codes.
More in Muscogee County
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Questions
Common questions about 31903
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Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 31903. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).