Columbus, GA-AL Metro Area Immigration

Population

The Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) population 1/ increased from 255,203 in 1970 to 286,763 in 2010. That was an increase of 12.4 percent.

The foreign-born (FB) population increased from 4,008 in 1970 to 11,687 in 2010. That was an increase of 191.6 percent. The foreign-born share changed from 1.6 percent to 4.1 percent.

The share of the overall population that was native-born (NB) increased by 9.5 percent.

	Columbus MSA: Population  1970-2010

Sources of Population Change

The primary sources of population change are:

Natural Change [Births minus Deaths or B-D];
Net Domestic Migration [NDM - movement between states]; and
Net International Migration [NIM - movement into and out of the country].
There is also a residual "other" amount that isn't placed in one of those three categories.

The first chart below shows the three population change factors for three periods adjusted for annual average amounts. Natural change (B-D) was the primary factor in population increase in all periods.

The second chart shows the same data but with an adjustment to reflect births to immigrants shifted to NIM. In it, the relative contributions to population increase of the three factors remained unchanged.

	Columbus MSA: Sources of Population Change 1990-2014 		 Columbus MSA: Sources of Population Change (Adjusted) 1990-2014

		B-D	 NDM	 NIM						 B-D	 NDM	 NIM	
	90-'99	93.3%	 neg.	 6.7%					90-'99	 82.5%	 neg.	17.5%
	00-'09	90.6%	 neg.	 9.4%					00-'09	 73.6%	 neg.	26.4%
	10-'14	48.8%	29.4%	22.9%					10-'14	 39.7%	29.4%	30.9%

1/ Russell, AL and GA counties: Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, and Muscogee.

Links:

MSA Factsheets by state, and alphabetically.

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