Housing in Columbia City at a glance
- Population
- 22,074
- Housing units
- about 10,066
- Median value, owner-occupied homes
- $871,000Seattle: $938,600 (-7%)
- Median gross rent
- $1,830 a monthSeattle: $2,030 (-10%)
- Owner-occupied homes
- 45%Seattle: 43.7%
- Homes built before 1980
- 49.7%
- Median year built
- 1980
Ownership in Columbia City, on the south-east side of Seattle, stands at 45%, a little above the city overall (by 1.3 points) and fourth-highest among the ten sectors profiled, though 4,147 owner households still trail 5,078 renting ones. Prices run lower. A homeowner here would put the sector's median at $871,000, which is 7% under Seattle overall and eighth in the ranking, and tenants pay $1,830 in monthly rent, 10% under the citywide level and ninth. The housing is moderately old: construction centres on 1980, and 49.7% of homes are older than that. Central Area/Squire Park, a neighbour, comes in at $962,000, while First Hill reaches $649,000 and Capitol Hill $573,000, so Columbia City sits above two neighbours and below one. In all, the sector counts 22,073 residents and 10,066 housing units, and both its rent and its value sit below the Seattle level.
Questions about Columbia City
What is the median home value in Columbia City, Seattle?
$871,000 for owner-occupied homes, against $938,600 for Seattle as a whole (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary). It is the owners' own estimate of their home's value, not a sale price.
What is the median rent in Columbia City?
$1,830 a month in gross rent (rent plus utilities paid by the renter), against $2,030 in Seattle (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Do most people in Columbia City own or rent?
Most rent: 45% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, against 43.7% in Seattle (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Data and method
Data as of: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (retrieved 2026-11-02).
Estimate from the 5 census tracts whose internal point lies within the official boundary: counts are summed, and each median is recomputed from the summed value, rent and year-built brackets (grouped median, linear interpolation). The gap with the city is measured with the same method on the whole city. Boundaries used: City of Seattle GIS, Community Reporting Areas (consulted 2026-11-02).
Columbia City is one of the 10 most populous neighborhoods (of 53 community reporting areas) of Seattle: population 22,074 (Community Reporting Areas (2020) - Redistricting Data 1990-2020 (City of Seattle GIS Open Data, 2020 P.L. 94-171 total population)).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25001, B25003, B25034, B25063, B25064, B25075, B25077; U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer files (census tract internal points). City figures: the same survey, published for Seattle as a whole. Home values are owners' estimates, not sale prices.
Near Columbia City
The closest sectors of Seattle, by distance between population centres.
Other sectors of Seattle
Five trades, one spot each
Payotte lists one professional per trade in Columbia City. No one is listed yet: every spot is open.
- Real estate agentOpen spot
- Mortgage loan officerOpen spot
- Home inspectorOpen spot
- Real estate attorneyOpen spot
- AppraiserOpen spot
Work in one of these trades in Columbia City? Ask for your spot.