[4] The southern tip of Columbia County is part of the Coal Region.

From the Susquehanna River north as far as Waller, the county is mostly farmland with several patches of forest.

[6] Note: Only mountains higher than 1,500 feet (460 m) are listed Source:[7][8] Part of Ricketts Glen State Park is in the northern portion of Columbia County.

The United States Office of Management and Budget[13] has designated Columbia County as the Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

While John McCain received 51.6% of its vote to 47.1% for Barack Obama, this was a far-closer margin than the 20 points that George W. Bush carried it by in 2004.

In 2006, Democrat Bob Casey Jr. received 51% of its vote when he unseated incumbent Republican US Senator Rick Santorum and Ed Rendell received 50.6% of the vote against Lynn Swann.

For many years Columbia County was represented in the State House by a conservative Democrat in the 109th district until John Gordner changed parties to Republican in 2001.

School districts include:[17] Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns.

The following town, boroughs and townships are located in Columbia County: Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data.