Humid subtropical
Columbia, Maryland
Howard County, Maryland · Population 106k · 328 ft elevation
Living in Columbia
Columbia has a humid subtropical climate: hot summers (July highs around 89°F) and chilly winters (January lows around 26°F).
Precipitation is wet at about 48″ a year, and it gets light snow (29″ a season).
Skies are sunny (61% of possible sunshine). Summers get sticky, with about 54 muggy days a year.
Air quality is good: a median AQI of 33 and virtually no unhealthy-air days.
Columbia at a glance
- Population
- 106k
- Elevation
- 328 ft
- Average daily high
- 67°F54th percentile
- Average daily low
- 48°F62th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 48″67th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 29″69th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,761 hrs45th percentile
- Median AQI
- 338th percentile
- Median home value
- $480k80th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,998/mo87th percentile
- Median household income
- $129k88th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 1.24%63th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 6.5%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 6.0%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.5%
- Homes with broadband
- 95%76th percentile
- Walkability index
- 13.588th percentile
- Average commute
- 28 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 57%66th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 61%
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 7225th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 5049th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 2%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 2%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 722 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°F | 26°F | 3.5″ | 9.0″ | 160 hrs |
| Feb | 46°F | 28°F | 2.7″ | 10.0″ | 168 hrs |
| Mar | 55°F | 35°F | 4.2″ | 5.2″ | 202 hrs |
| Apr | 67°F | 45°F | 3.8″ | — | 237 hrs |
| May | 76°F | 56°F | 4.4″ | — | 265 hrs |
| Jun | 84°F | 65°F | 4.4″ | — | 308 hrs |
| Jul | 89°F | 70°F | 4.2″ | — | 333 hrs |
| Aug | 87°F | 68°F | 3.8″ | — | 299 hrs |
| Sep | 80°F | 61°F | 4.7″ | — | 244 hrs |
| Oct | 69°F | 50°F | 4.4″ | — | 207 hrs |
| Nov | 57°F | 39°F | 3.5″ | 0.2″ | 184 hrs |
| Dec | 47°F | 32°F | 3.9″ | 4.1″ | 155 hrs |
Near Columbia
- Savage, MD · 8.3k
- Scaggsville, MD · 10k
- Fulton, MD · 5.9k
- North Laurel, MD · 25k
- Ilchester, MD · 28k
- Ellicott City, MD · 74k
- Jessup, MD · 9.1k
- West Laurel, MD · 4.2k
Largest places in Maryland
- Baltimore, MD · 577k
- Germantown, MD · 91k
- Waldorf, MD · 83k
- Silver Spring, MD · 82k
- Frederick, MD · 81k
- Glen Burnie, MD · 73k
- Gaithersburg, MD · 69k
- Bethesda, MD · 67k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology