17512 ZIP Code — Columbia, PA

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

ZIP code 17512 is located in Columbia, Pennsylvania, within Lancaster County. It covers approximately 16.01 square miles and serves a population of 18,044 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 717/223.

About ZIP code 17512

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the pre-1940, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $202,100. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 63%.

Median household income is $59,496. SNAP benefit usage at 18% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 40% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 24 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 22% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (21%) compared to national benchmarks.

Overall, ZIP code 17512 reflects a community defined by a significant Social Security-dependent population and elevated reliance on food assistance.

18,044

population

16.01

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

17512 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 17512

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 17512. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Columbia	Acceptable
Columbia	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

17554 Mountville (2.9 mi) 17582 Washington Boro (4.2 mi) 17368 Wrightsville (4.3 mi) 17538 Landisville (4.4 mi) 17552 Mount Joy (4.8 mi) 17547 Marietta (5.7 mi) 17611 Lancaster (6.5 mi) 17603 Lancaster (7 mi) 17551 Millersville (7.1 mi) 17520 East Petersburg (7.7 mi) 17601 Lancaster (8.7 mi) 17366 Windsor (8.7 mi)

Demographics updated 06/2026

Population
Total population	18,044
Population density	1,127 / sq mi
State FIPS	42
County FIPS	071

Geography
Land area	16.01 sq mi
Water area	4.86 sq mi
Latitude	40.0472
Longitude	-76.4819
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	717/223

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 06/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	50.4%	34.0%	39.8%
$50k – $100k	31.3%	35.3%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	14.4%	24.8%	22.4%
Over $200k	3.9%	6.0%	7.1%

Demographics & statistics

18,044

Population

1,127

People per sq mi

43.0

Median age

$59,496

Median household income

$33,830

Per capita income

$202,100

Median home value

$1,037

Median monthly rent

63.0%

Home ownership

11.5%

Poverty rate

2.6%

Unemployment

5,187

Housing units

22.2%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

393

Under 5

419

469

5–9

500

465

10–14

496

609

15–19

649

325

20–24

347

1,093

25–34

1,164

1,206

35–44

1,285

912

45–54

972

427

55–59

455

785

60–64

835

1,155

65–74

1,230

474

75–84

504

424

85+

451

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	3,449	19.1%
18 and over	14,595	80.9%
65 and over	4,238	23.5%
Median age	43.0 years

Race & ethnicity

White 82.5%

Hispanic or Latino 5.3%

Black or African American 4.5%

Two or more races 3.7%

Other race 3.2%

Asian 0.4%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%

Group	Count	%
White	15,723	82.5%
Hispanic or Latino	1,011	5.3%
Black or African American	857	4.5%
Two or more races	705	3.7%
Other race	601	3.2%
Asian	79	0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	79	0.4%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	50.4%	34.0%	39.8%
$50k – $100k	31.3%	35.3%	30.8%
$100k – $200k	14.4%	24.8%	22.4%
Over $200k	3.9%	6.0%	7.1%

Under $10k 3.1%

$10k–$15k 4.7%

$15k–$25k 8.7%

$25k–$35k 9.9%

$35k–$50k 16.4%

$50k–$75k 16.8%

$75k–$100k 14.2%

$100k–$150k 14.2%

$150k–$200k 8.3%

$200k+ 3.6%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	3.1%
$10k–$15k	4.7%
$15k–$25k	8.7%
$25k–$35k	9.9%
$35k–$50k	16.4%
$50k–$75k	16.8%
$75k–$100k	14.2%
$100k–$150k	14.2%
$150k–$200k	8.3%
$200k+	3.6%
Median income	$59,496

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 1.4%

$50k–$100k 13.8%

$100k–$150k 14.1%

$150k–$200k 20.1%

$200k–$300k 26.2%

$300k–$500k 17.7%

$500k–$1M 5.7%

$1M+ 0.9%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$202,100
Median rent / month	$1,037
Owner occupied	63.0%
Renter occupied	37.0%
Vacant	5.7%
Single-family detached	45.3%
Large apartment buildings	8.7%
Mobile homes	0.4%
Median rooms	6.1
Avg household size (owned)	2.49

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	3.6%
2000–2009	5.5%
1990–1999	8.6%
1980–1989	10.9%
1970–1979	11.5%
1960–1969	7.2%
1950–1959	8.5%
1940–1949	5.6%
1939 or earlier	38.5%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.0%
1 bedroom	16.0%
2 bedrooms	22.7%
3 bedrooms	35.0%
4 bedrooms	19.1%
5+ bedrooms	6.2%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	12.8%
1 vehicle	33.9%
2 vehicles	36.3%
3 or more	17.0%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	42.9%
Electricity	34.5%
Propane / LP gas	8.4%
Fuel oil	11.4%
Wood	1.0%
Solar	0.3%
No fuel used	0.9%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	3,569	47.5%
Cohabiting couple	494	6.6%
Male householder, no spouse	1,497	19.9%
Female householder, no spouse	1,952	26.0%
Households with children under 18	1,777	23.7%
Households with seniors (65+)	2,763	36.8%
Average household size	2.35

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	32.9%	25.6%
Married	50.9%	48.3%
Separated	1.5%	2.8%
Widowed	3.0%	12.4%
Divorced	11.7%	10.9%

Education

Less than 9th grade 4.2%

Some HS, no diploma 11.8%

HS graduate 42.1%

Some college, no degree 13.0%

Associate's degree 6.6%

Bachelor's degree 14.4%

Graduate / professional 7.8%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	84.0%
Bachelor's or higher	22.2%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	102	3.1%
Kindergarten	210	6.4%
Elementary school	1,457	44.5%
High school	995	30.4%
College / grad school	510	15.6%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 22.1%

Manufacturing 17.0%

Retail trade 13.6%

Professional & management 8.4%

Transportation & utilities 7.3%

Construction 7.2%

Finance & real estate 7.2%

Arts, food & hospitality 6.8%

Other services 4.0%

Public administration 2.3%

Agriculture & mining 1.8%

Wholesale trade 1.3%

Information 1.2%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	32.6%
Service	12.6%
Sales & office	21.6%
Natural resources & construction	10.0%
Production & transportation	23.2%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	86.0%
Government	9.9%
Self-employed	4.0%
Unpaid family workers	0.1%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	79.5%
Carpool	7.1%
Public transit	1.4%
Walk	3.6%
Work from home	7.4%
Other means	0.9%
Avg commute (minutes)	24.1

Poverty

All people 11.5%

Under 18 years 15.4%

18 and over 10.6%

Married-couple families 2.4%

Female-led households 26.2%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	40.1%
Retirement income	28.7%
Supplemental Security	7.9%
Cash public assistance	4.3%
Food stamps / SNAP	17.5%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	36.3%
High blood pressure	33.7%
High cholesterol	31.4%
Diabetes	11.3%
Heart disease	7.5%
Stroke	3.5%
Asthma	10.7%
Arthritis	29.6%
Kidney disease	3.2%
Pulmonary disease	8.7%
Cancer	7.1%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	21.2%
Binge drinking	17.1%
No physical activity	26.2%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	37.4%
Depression	23.2%
Fair or poor health	17.0%
Poor mental health	16.5%
Poor physical health	12.2%
No health insurance	12.5%
Visited doctor (checkup)	78.6%
Visited dentist	60.4%
Cholesterol screening	88.2%
Teeth loss	18.1%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	1,358	9.3%

Disability	%
Any disability	17.1%
Under 18	2.8%
18–64 years	14.4%
65 and over	36.4%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	68.6%
Public insurance	45.6%
No insurance	3.4%
Uninsured under 19	4.3%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	17,232	95.5%
Spanish	660	3.8%
Other Indo-European	575	3.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander	7	0.0%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	17,330	96.0%
Born in same state	16,091	89.2%
Born in different state	13,666	75.7%
Foreign born	1,239	6.9%
Naturalized citizen	714	4.0%
Not a US citizen	384	53.8%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	2,091	11.6%
French	1,477	8.2%
Arab	1,043	5.8%
English	105	0.6%

Ancestry	Count	%
Polish	58	0.3%
German	16	0.1%
Norwegian	13	0.1%
Irish	3	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	41.6%
Internet access	91.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 17512

What city is ZIP code 17512 in?

ZIP code 17512 is primarily assigned to Columbia, Pennsylvania.

What county is ZIP code 17512 in?

ZIP code 17512 falls within Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Does ZIP code 17512 have a large retiree population?

40% of households in ZIP code 17512 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

Does ZIP code 17512 have a large veteran population?

9% of civilians in ZIP code 17512 are veterans, above the national average of ~7%.

What is the population of ZIP code 17512?

ZIP code 17512 has an estimated population of 18,044 residents, with a density of 1,127 people per square mile.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 17512?

The median home value in ZIP code 17512 is $202,100.

What timezone is ZIP code 17512 in?

ZIP code 17512 observes the EST timezone.