Auto · Metro area · South Carolina
Insurance agencies in the Columbia, SC metro area
The insurance agencies in the Columbia, SC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #141 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 606
- 120 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 406
- −5.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $842.6M
- On vehicle insurance · $2,481 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.8
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 879,918
- +6.0% since 2020
See the insurance agencies around any address in the Columbia metro area
The site report maps the insurance agencies on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Columbia metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
At $2,481 per household (27% above the U.S. average), households in the Columbia metro area spend about $842.6M a year on vehicle insurance. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each agency on map listings, 11% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M.
There are 606 insurance agencies on map listings in the Columbia metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 120 are chain locations, or 20%, against 21% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.8, 14% above the U.S. rate of 15.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 406 businesses with payroll in the Columbia metro area classed as insurance agencies and brokerages, down 5.8% from 2019. That is one for every 836 households, against one for every 966 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $4.7M have gone to businesses classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in the Columbia metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Columbia metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +6.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For insurance agencies, the Columbia metro area has a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle): #141 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina.
How the Columbia metro area compares
The same measures for South Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle insurance by the insurance agencies counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Columbia metro area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.8 | 13.9 | 15.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.8M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 836 | 1,037 | 966 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.8% | +3.0% | −1.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle insurance | $2,481 | $2,491 | $1,957 |
| Median household income | $68,359 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 81 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 406−5.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,835
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $142.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 606120 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 671The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $4.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in the Columbia metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Columbia metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 879,918+6.0% since 2020
- Households
- 339,601
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,703 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 229
- Median household income
- $68,359+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,243
- Median home value
- $232,400
- Jobs located here
- 410,492
- Daytime population
- 894,123Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbia metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the insurance agencies on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Columbia metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardInsurance agencies across South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in South Carolina for insurance agencies, numbered among those based in South Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbia metro area marked.
Top metro areas in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spartanburg, SC | 90 | 162 | 11.3 | $2.3M | +14.3% | #6 of 387 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 83 | 286 | 12.3 | $2M | +4.7% | #24 of 387 |
| 2Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 79 | 103 | 10.8 | $2.2M | +12.0% | #39 of 387 |
| 3Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 79 | 191 | 12.0 | $2M | +20.9% | #40 of 387 |
| 4Sumter, SC | 76 | 48 | 11.7 | $2.1M | −0.3% | #55 of 387 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 72 | 1,592 | 14.8 | $1.7M | +10.1% | #69 of 387 |
| 5Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 71 | 481 | 14.3 | $1.7M | +10.7% | #74 of 387 |
| 6Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 70 | 581 | 15.1 | $1.7M | +9.0% | #78 of 387 |
| 7Florence, SC | 60 | 123 | 15.7 | $1.5M | +0.9% | #129 of 387 |
| 8Columbia, SC | 58 | 606 | 17.8 | $1.4M | +6.0% | #141 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbia metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many insurance agencies are in the Columbia, SC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 606 insurance agencies in the Columbia metro area. 120 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count insurance agencies. Official counts show 406 businesses with payroll classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in 2023, down 5.8% from 2019.
How much do households in the Columbia, SC metro area spend on vehicle insurance?
About $842.6M a year, or $2,481 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 606 insurance agencies on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per agency. It is estimated from the incomes of the 339,601 households in the Columbia metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbia, SC metro area compare with the U.S. for insurance agencies?
The Columbia metro area has 17.8 insurance agencies per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 15.6. Spending per agency is $1.4M, 11% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of insurance agencies to household spending, the Columbia metro area would have about 671, against 606 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 836 households, against one for every 966 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbia, SC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbia metro area at 879,918 people in 2025, up 6.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 339,601 households. Median household income in the Columbia metro area is $68,359, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.1%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Columbia metro area scores 58 for insurance agencies (upper middle), #141 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbia metro area. It maps the insurance agencies on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for insurance agencies · All 56 business types in the Columbia metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbia metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Columbia metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.