The Columbus metropolitan area, officially the Columbus metropolitan statistical area, and colloquially known as the Chattahoochee Valley, is a metropolitan statistical area consisting of six counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and one county in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, anchored by the city of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

. At the 2020 U.S. census, the Columbus area had a population of 328,883; in 2022, the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

estimated the Columbus MSA's population to be 324,110. The Columbus metropolitan area is a component of the Columbus-Auburn-Opelika (GA-AL) combined statistical area, a trading and marketing region. It is split between the

eastern time zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 U.S. states, states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five ...

, the time zone of the Georgia metropolitan counties, and

central time zone The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It ...

, the time zone of

Russell County, Alabama Russell County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,183. Its county seat is Phenix City. Its name is in honor of Colonel Gilbert C. Russell, who fought in the wars ...

. The Columbus metropolitan area is one of two metropolitan areas split between multiple time zones, with the other being the

Chattanooga metropolitan area The Chattanooga, TN-GA metropolitan statistical area, as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is an area consisting of six counties – three in southeast Tennessee (Hamilton, Marion, and Sequatchie) and three in nor ...

in Tennessee.

Geography

Located in West Georgia, the metropolitan area consists of counties in both Georgia and Alabama:

Chattahoochee The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle ...

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

, and

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...

counties in Georgia; and

. In 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau revised the official area definition of the Columbus metropolitan area. Two additional Georgia counties, Stewart and

Talbot Talbot is a dormant automobile marque introduced in 1902 by British-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément ...

, were included in all statistics of the 2020 decennial census and in all annual population estimates after 2018.

Communities

Places with more than 180,000 inhabitants

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

(principal city)

Places with 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants

Cusseta, Georgia Cusseta ( ) is a city in Chattahoochee County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, metropolitan statistical area. The population was 9,565 in 2020. The city is the county seat ...

(includes

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

) *

Phenix City, Alabama Phenix City is a city in Lee and Russell counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Russell County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 38,817. Phenix City lies immediately west across the Chattahoochee ...

Places with 1,000 to 10,000 inhabitants

Buena Vista, Georgia Buena Vista ( ) is a city in Marion County, Georgia, Marion County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, metropolitan statistical area. The population was 1 ...

Hamilton, Georgia Hamilton is a city in, and the county seat of Harris County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama metropolitan statistical area. The population was 1,680 at the 2020 census, up from 307 at the 2000 census. Hist ...

Ladonia, Alabama Ladonia is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Russell County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,074. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geo ...

(census-designated place) *

Lumpkin, Georgia Lumpkin is a city and county seat of Stewart County, Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 891. History This area of Georgia was inhabited by succeeding cultures of indigenous Native Americans for thousands of years ...

Manchester, Georgia Manchester is a town in Meriwether and Talbot counties in the U.S. state of Georgia, although primarily in Meriwether. The population was 3,584 at the 2020 census, down from 4,230 in 2010. It is the most populous community in Meriwether County ...

(partial) * Pine Mountain, Georgia (partial) *

Richland, Georgia Richland is a city in Stewart County, Georgia, Stewart County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,370. History The community took its name from the local Richland Bap ...

West Point, Georgia West Point is a city in Troup and Harris counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is located approximately halfway between Montgomery, Alabama and Atlanta along Interstate 85. As of 2020, its population was 3,719. Most of the city is in Tr ...

(partial)

Places with less than 1,000 inhabitants

Geneva, Georgia Geneva is a town in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 75 at the 2020 census. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the Town of Geneva in 1870. The community's name is a transfer from Geneva, in Switzerland ...

Hurtsboro, Alabama Hurtsboro is a town in Russell County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 553, down from 592 in 2000. It was founded in 1857 as Hurtsville and named for Joel Hurt, Sr. (whose son, Joel Hurt, was an important developer ...

* Junction City, Georgia *

Shiloh, Georgia Shiloh is a city on the northeastern edge of Harris County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia–Alabama metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 402. History A post office call ...

Talbotton, Georgia Talbotton is a city in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 970 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Talbot County. History Talbotton was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Talbot County. Both the ...

Waverly Hall, Georgia Waverly Hall is a town in Harris County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama metropolitan statistical area. The population was 638 in 2020. History A post office called Waverly was established in 1829. The commu ...

Woodland, Georgia Woodland is a city in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 305 in 2020. History The community was named after C.S. Woods, original owner of the town site. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Woodland as a town in 1908. ...

Unincorporated places

* Box Springs, Georgia *

Cataula, Georgia Cataula is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harris County, Georgia, United States. The 2020 census listed a population of 1,433. History "Cataula" is derived from the Muscogee word ''kitali,'' meaning "wither ...

Ellerslie, Georgia Ellerslie is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harris County, Georgia, Harris County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Ellerslie is a part of the Columbus, Georgia me ...

* Fortson, Georgia *

Glenville, Alabama Glenville (also spelled Glennville) is an unincorporated community in Russell County, Alabama, United States which used to be in Barbour County. During the Civil War, Company "H" of the 15th Regiment Alabama Infantry was raised from Barbour an ...

* Juniper, Georgia *

Louvale, Georgia Louvale is an unincorporated community in Stewart County, Georgia, United States. The community is located along U.S. Route 27, north of Lumpkin. Louvale has a post office with ZIP code 31814. History Originally named "Antioch", the town dev ...

* Midland, Georgia *

Omaha, Georgia Omaha is an unincorporated community in Stewart County, Georgia, United States. Local Businesses Omaha Brewing Company is located in Stewart County and owned by Omaha native Dr. Robert E. Lee and his wife, Stephanie Lee. Geography Omaha is l ...

Demographics

According to the 2000 United States census, there were 281,768 people, 103,982 households, and 72,632 families residing within the MSA. In 2010, its population grew to 296,506, and at the 2020 census, its population was 328,883; the 2022 U.S. census estimates numbered 324,110. In 2000, the racial and ethnic makeup of the Columbus metropolitan area was 54.56%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 40.21%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.40% Native American, 1.22% Asian, 0.14%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.01% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 4.02% of the population. According to the 2022

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, the metropolitan area's racial and ethnic makeup was 43% White, 41% Black or African American, 2% Asian, 5% multiracial, and 8% Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2000, the median income for a household in the MSA was $35,262, and the median income for a family was $40,065. Males had a median income of $29,196 versus $22,834 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the MSA was $16,410. In 2022, the median household income was $54,106 with a per capita income of $30,287. An estimated 18.5% of the metropolitan population lived at or below the poverty line.

Combined statistical area

Transportation

Air

* Columbus Airport

Interstate

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...

* Interstate 185

U. S. routes

U.S. Route 27 U.S. Route 27 or U.S. Highway 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway in the Southern and Midwestern U.S. The southern terminus is at US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 (I ...

U.S. Route 27 Alternate * US_80

U.S. Route 80 U.S. Route 80 or U.S. Highway 80 (US 80) is a major east–west United States Numbered Highway in the Southern United States, much of which was once part of the early auto trail known as the Dixie Overland Highway. As the "0" in the ...

U.S. Route 280 U.S. Route 280 (US 280) is a spur of U.S. Highway 80. It currently runs for 392 miles (631 km) from Blitchton, Georgia, at US 80 to Birmingham, Alabama at I-20/ I-59. For much of its route, US 280 travels through rural areas and smaller ...

U.S. Route 431 U.S. Route 431 (US 431) is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently travels for approximately from U.S. Route 231, US 231/Alabama State Route 210 and U.S. Route 231 Business (Dothan, Alabama), US 231 Business (US 231 Bus. ...

References

{{Alabama Auburn metropolitan area, Alabama Geography of Chattahoochee County, Georgia Geography of Muscogee County, Georgia Geography of Harris County, Georgia Geography of Marion County, Georgia Geography of Russell County, Alabama Geography of Lee County, Alabama Metropolitan areas of Georgia (U.S. state) Metropolitan areas of Alabama Regions of Georgia (U.S. state) Regions of Alabama