Get Index of Column in pandas DataFrame in Python (Example)

In this tutorial you’ll learn how to find the index of a certain column in a pandas DataFrame in the Python programming language.

The page will consist of the following content:

You’re here for the answer, so let’s get straight to the example…

Example Data & Software Libraries

If we want to use the functions of the pandas library, we first need to import pandas:

import pandas as pd                                # Import pandas library in Python

The following data will be used as basement for this Python programming tutorial:

data = pd.DataFrame({'x1':[6, 3, 7, 3, 7, 1, 9],  # Create example DataFrame
                     'x2':['a', 'x', 'y', 's', 's', 'a', 'b'],
                     'x3':[1, 5, 9, 7, 5, 2, 5],
                     'x4':range(8, 1, - 1)})
print(data)                                       # Print example DataFrame

Table 1 shows that the example data contains seven observations and the four columns “x1”, “x2”, “x3”, and “x4”.

Example: Get Index Position of pandas DataFrame Column Using columns Attribute & get_loc() Function

This example explains how to return the index position of a specific column name in a pandas DataFrame using the Python programming language.

For this task, we can use the columns attribute in combination with the get_loc function. Within the get_loc function, we have to specify the variable name for which we want to search as a character string.

Check out the Python syntax below:

print(data.columns.get_loc("x3"))                 # Return column index
# 2

The previous output of the Python console shows the index position of the variable x3 in our pandas DataFrame (i.e. the index position 2). Remember that Python starts the numeration of indices with the index position 0.

Video & Further Resources

Do you want to know more about the identification of the index of a certain column in a pandas DataFrame? Then I recommend watching the following video on the YouTube channel of Corey Schafer.

In the video, he demonstrates how to set and reset indices in Python. This also helps to understand the Python code of this article:

In addition to the video, you could have a look at some of the other articles on this homepage.

• How to Use the pandas Library in Python
• Get Max & Min Value of Column & Index in pandas DataFrame
• Convert Index to Column of pandas DataFrame
• Select Rows of pandas DataFrame by Index
• Insert Column at Specific Position of pandas DataFrame
• Rename Index of pandas DataFrame
• The Python Programming Language

At this point you should know how to identify the index of a particular column in a pandas DataFrame in Python programming. Don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments section, in case you have any further questions.