| | Columbus, MT | Salmon, ID | United States |
| Population | 2,069 | 3,114 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 47.9% | 47.5% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 52.1% | 52.5% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 40.5 | 43.3 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 1,892 | 3,150 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 1,748 | 3,122 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 1,573 | 2,941 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 21.1% | 1.9% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 34.6% | 8.2% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,506.9 | 1,243.1 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 1.4 | 2.5 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 0.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Columbus, MT | Salmon, ID | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 5.2% | 5.6% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 8.3% | 4.0% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 6.9% | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 5.2% | 3.7% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 3.8% | 5.7% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 7.3% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 8.5% | 7.7% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 14.1% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 8.0% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.8% | 5.4% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.7% | 10.7% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 11.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 4.5% | 9.1% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 4.4% | 5.0% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Columbus, MT | Salmon, ID | United States |
| White | 94.1% | 90.1% | 59.4% |
| Black | 0.0% | 0.1% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.5% | 0.0% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 2.4% | 2.9% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 2.7% | 6.6% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Columbus, MT | Salmon, ID | United States |
| Married Population | 52.4% | 36.7% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 51.2% | 34.5% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 1.2% | 2.2% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 47.6% | 63.3% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 25.6% | 26.5% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 13.7% | 27.8% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 8.3% | 8.9% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.37 | 2.48 | 2.60 |
| Households | 857 | 1,227 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 496 | 632 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 33.1% | 30.1% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 50.2% | 38.8% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 361 | 595 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 11.7% | 17.2% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 5.0% | 13.9% | 10.8% |