About Columbus Districts
Columbus Districts is an independent, nonpartisan civic resource covering the nine residential districts of the Columbus City Council.
What is this site?
Columbus Districts provides a single reference point for anyone who wants to understand how the Columbus City Council's district system works, who represents each district, and how districts compare on demographics, housing, income, and elections. Every data point links back to its source, and the full methodology is documented on the Data & Methodology page.
Why does Columbus have residential districts?
In November 2018, Columbus voters approved a charter amendment creating residential districts and expanding City Council from seven seats to nine. The first district elections were held in 2023, and the system has now completed two election cycles (2023 and 2025). Members must live in the district they represent, but under the current hybrid system every voter in the city helps elect all nine.
For a full explanation of how the system works — including term structure, lot-drawing for staggered terms, and council powers — see How It Works.
Where does the data come from?
The primary demographic data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Because Columbus's council districts do not align with any standard Census geography, district-level figures are aggregated from the block-group level, weighted by 2020-Census block population and assigned to districts using the official CivicWorth council polygons.
Where available, Esri current-year estimates are shown alongside ACS figures as a supplemental comparison. Esri's projections start from the 2020 Census and incorporate building permits and IRS migration data.
The site uses a snapshot/vintage system that stores demographic data from each ACS release as a separate snapshot, so districts can be compared across time as new ACS vintages are published. See the Data & Methodology page for full detail.
How are election results sourced?
Election results come from the Franklin County Board of Elections, cross-referenced with local reporting. Certified vote totals are added as they become available; unofficial results are labeled accordingly.
Who maintains this site?
Columbus Districts is an independent, nonpartisan project. It is not affiliated with the City of Columbus, Columbus City Council, or any political campaign.
I found an error. How do I report it?
Every district page has a Suggest an Edit form at the bottom. Corrections to demographic data, election results, council-member information, and area-commission details are all welcome.
Last reviewed: August 2026