Census Data for City of Columbus

Population ...

The last Decennial Census<1> was in 2010, which gave City of Columbus a population of 3,914 people.

The community of City of Columbus is located in Anoka County. The 2010 Census gave Anoka County; a population of 330,844 people. This means that City of Columbus had 1.18% of the county's total population, making it Anoka's 15th most populous community.

At the same time, Minnesota had a population of 5,303,925 people, meaning that City of Columbus had 0.07% of the total population of Minnesota - making it the state's 173rd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for City of Columbus has a total area of 47.75 square miles [123.7 km²]. Of this total, 44.92 square miles [116.3 km²] is land, with the balance (5.94%) being water (2.84 square miles [7.3 km²]).

Anoka County has a land area of 423 square miles [1,095.6 km²]. At 44.92 square miles [116.3 km²], City of Columbus has 10.62% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a community like City of Columbus, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the community.
  • Things like population, area and housing for City of Columbus reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of City of Columbus might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   45° 15' 20"   (or 45.26°)
  • Lon:   -93° 6' 46"   (or -93.11°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, City of Columbus had 1,464 Housing Units<2> and with its population of 3,914 people, this averages 2.67 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows City of Columbus had a land area of 44.92 square miles [116.3 km²]. This translates to 30.66 Housing Units per square mile [11.84 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: City of Columbus had 1,358 Housing Units, a population of 3,957 people and a land area of 44.88 square miles [116.2 km²]. This gives a density of 2.91 people per Housing Unit and 28.4 Housing Units per square mile [10.97 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for City of Columbus and you need to be careful when comparing values between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Anoka County ...

City of Columbus is located in Anoka County<3>.

The county had a population of 330,844 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 3,914 people, City of Columbus represented 1.18% of the county's total.

In addition, where the community of City of Columbus has a population density of 82 people per square mile [31.65 people/km²], Anoka County averages 782 people per square mile [302 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Anoka County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for City of Columbus, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of City of Columbus. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for City of Columbus or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of City of Columbus, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for City of Columbus.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   45.255752°   (or 45°15'20" N)
  • Lon:   -93.112877°   (or -93°6'46" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   45.269866°   (or 45°16'11" N)
  • Lon:   -93.060627°   (or -93°3'38" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 2 miles to the west<4> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2393610) to City of Columbus. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of City of Columbus. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   45.268555°   (or 45°16'6" N)
  • Lon:   -93.080867°   (or -93°4'51" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 9,447 feet to the southwest<5> of the point given by the GNIS for City of Columbus. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for City of Columbus.

Miscellaneous Information for City of Columbus ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Anoka County or the community of City of Columbus:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to City of Columbus:
  • GNIS ID for City of Columbus: 2393610
  • GNIS ID for Anoka County: 659447
  • GNIS ID for State of Minnesota: 662849

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 27 (Minnesota)
  • County Code: 003 (Anoka County)
  • Place Code: 12718 (City of Columbus)
  • State & County Code: 27/003 (Minnesota / Anoka County)
  • State & Place Code: 27/12718 (Minnesota / City of Columbus)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • City of Columbus is located in Census Region #2 (the Midwest Region) and Division #4 (the West North-Central Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for City of Columbus.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for City of Columbus. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Anoka County: www.co.anoka.mn.us/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)