Columbus migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 3,785 people moved into the Columbus metro and 4,096 moved out, a net of −311. 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: Indianapolis, IN leads both directions, with 1,040 people in and 1,264 out in 2022–23. The listed corridors cover about 51–55% of all flows; the totals count everyone.
- Trend: net outflow has deepened over the last three years, from −160 in 2020–21 to −311 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
85,729
▲ 0.9% year over year · growing
Peak population
85,729
highest in the series shown (since 2000)
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: the population grew in 2025 even after losing 19 people to domestic migration. International migration (+619) and births minus deaths (+176) more than made up for it.
- Peak population: the 2025 estimate of 85,729 is the highest on record, in data going back to 2000.
Net income flow · 2022–23
−$36M
▼ $135M arrived · $172M left
Avg household income · movers
$60k in · $73k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 22%
Columbus wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into the Columbus metro in 2022–23 reported $135M in income (AGI). Households leaving took $172M with them, a net loss of $36M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $60k of income, vs $73k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 22%.
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 51% of inbound and 55% 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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