Columbus is Georgia’s second-largest city. Here’s a map of 2020 Census changes
It’s official. Columbus is Georgia’s second largest city, narrowly leapfrogging Augusta in population over the last decade.
Columbus’ population was 206,922, as of April 1, 2020, according to data reported by the U.S. Census Bureau Thursday. That’s roughly above the 202,000 reported in Augusta-Richmond County.
In 2010, Columbus’ reported population was just shy of 190,000 while Augusta neared 200,000, according to Census data tracking populations in municipalities, cities, towns, villages, boroughs and other similar communities.
Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson told the Ledger-Enquirer Thursday that both cities have claimed to be the state’s number two city in the past.
“We do say (it) — and Augusta has said it for a while, too,” he said. “It is nice to have that slight edge so we can continue to say that.”
Consolidated Columbus-Muscogee County saw its population grow 9% in the last decade. Of the more than 206,000 residents, more than 96,000 (46.5% overall) reported their race as Black alone. The Black, non-Hispanic population has increased 11% since 2010. White, non-Hispanic population fell by about 5% in the last decade. Those who reported their race as White alone accounted for nearly 82,500 or 39.9% of the county’s population in 2020.
The county’s Hispanic population increased as well. More than 16,500 residents reported their ethnicity as Hispanic, up from just over 12,000 a decade ago. The Census Bureau records Hispanic or Latino ethnicity in a separate question from race.
Muscogee ranks as Georgia’s 10th largest county behind Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb, Clayton, Chatham, Cherokee, Forsyth and Henry.
Harris County saw its population rise to nearly 34,700, up 8% overall from 2010. Nearly every other neighboring county in central southwestern Georgia shrank, including Talbot (-17%), Chattahoochee (-15%), Marion (-14%), Stewart (-12%) and Webster (-16%).
Statewide, Georgia’s 2020 Census population was just over 10.7 million, an increase of over 1 million or 10.6% in the last decade.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 6:11 PM.