| | Columbia, SC | Hickory, NC | United States |
| Population | 137,276 | 42,831 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 50.0% | 51.8% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 50.0% | 48.2% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 28.2 | 38.3 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 130,909 | 40,186 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 116,278 | 37,222 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 98,052 | 28,301 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 13.6% | 11.4% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 34.8% | 46.5% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,009.4 | 1,445.2 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 136.0 | 29.6 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 2.8 | 0.1 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Columbia, SC | Hickory, NC | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 5.3% | 5.1% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 4.1% | 5.6% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 4.8% | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 3.2% | 4.2% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 14.6% | 5.7% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 11.9% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 17.0% | 13.8% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 11.9% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 10.0% | 13.5% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 4.3% | 6.4% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 4.1% | 5.8% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 6.4% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 2.9% | 4.7% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 1.0% | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Columbia, SC | Hickory, NC | United States |
| White | 48.0% | 64.7% | 59.4% |
| Black | 40.3% | 13.7% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 2.6% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 2.8% | 3.6% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 5.6% | 12.4% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Columbia, SC | Hickory, NC | United States |
| Married Population | 31.9% | 46.2% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 29.6% | 44.2% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.3% | 2.0% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 68.1% | 53.8% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 55.7% | 36.3% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 8.4% | 11.7% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 4.0% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.19 | 2.38 | 2.60 |
| Households | 50,372 | 17,363 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 24,276 | 10,156 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 25.6% | 28.0% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 37.4% | 44.3% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 26,096 | 7,207 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 25.2% | 19.8% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 11.8% | 7.9% | 10.8% |