Columbus migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 16,979 people moved into the Columbus metro and 17,228 moved out, a net of −249. Yellow arcs are people arriving, blue arcs are people leaving. Hover a dot to see the corridor, or click through to compare.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest published corridors: Auburn, AL leads both directions, with 1,758 people in and 1,968 out in 2022–23. The listed corridors cover about 43% of all flows; the totals count everyone.
- Trend: net outflow has eased over the last three years, from −2,389 in 2020–21 to −249 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
324,830
▲ 0.1% year over year · growing
Peak population · 2020
329,195
1.3% below the 2020 peak
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: the population grew in 2025 even after losing 111 people to domestic migration. International migration (+391) and births minus deaths (+151) more than made up for it.
- Peak population: the high-water mark was 329,195 in 2020. The 2025 estimate of 324,830 is 1.3% below that.
Net income flow · 2022–23
−$59M
▼ $446M arrived · $505M left
Avg household income · movers
$52k in · $58k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 12%
Columbus wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into the Columbus metro in 2022–23 reported $446M in income (AGI). Households leaving took $505M with them, a net loss of $59M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $52k of income, vs $58k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 12%.
About the data
Corridors are IRS county-to-county migration flows added up into metro areas (2023 Census metro definitions; exemptions ≈ people). "Rest of" entries cover a state's counties outside any featured metro. The IRS hides corridors with fewer than 20 returns, so the lists here cover about 43% of inbound and 43% of outbound movers in 2022–23. The in, out, and net totals count everyone. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported, from the complete county totals. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Population figures are Census Bureau estimates; the peak covers records since 2000. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
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