# Columbus, North Carolina — #2,667 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.25 of 10. FIPS 37047. Population 50,121. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 50,100 people live in Columbus, North Carolina. It ranks #2,667 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #90 of 100 in North Carolina. The combined sales tax is 6.75%, higher than in 48% of counties. Property tax takes about 0.73% of a home's value each year, less than in 50% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 70% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 97% of counties. Life expectancy is about 70.2 years, shorter than in 93% of counties. Air quality is better than in 69% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 38), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 94% of counties. On this site's state scores, North Carolina gets 7.59 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 7.59 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 6.24 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 6.68 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 0.00 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.86 |  |
| Property tax | county | 6.35 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 0.33 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 0.20 |  |
| Government employees | county | 6.97 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 0.95 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #1749 Horry, South Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/45051.md
- #2536 Bladen, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37017.md
- #1224 Pender, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37141.md
- #2737 Robeson, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37155.md
- #1346 Brunswick, North Carolina — https://libertymoving.org/counties/37019.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/37047
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=37047
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
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