Athens, TN Metro Area — Elections 1876–2024

Athens, TN, Tennessee: Evangelical Deep South metro. In 2024, voted R+65%. Republican peak: R+65 in 2024.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+65MIT Election Lab
Political typology: Evangelical Deep SouthAkashic typology
Population: 68,2272024 5-year
Median household income: $61,4512024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 88.0%2024 5-year
Black: 3.0%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 4.1%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+18 in 1944MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+65 in 2024MIT Election Lab

2024 presidential election

Athens, TN

TrumpR+65

—

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Donald Trump ✓Republican	82.1%	24,758
Kamala HarrisDemocratic	17.2%	5,175
OtherAll other candidates	0.8%	238

D+60

R+60

2 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1876–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1876	No data
1880	No data
1884	No data
1888	No data
1892	−11.0%
1896	−15.2%
1900	−14.5%
1904	−15.7%
1908	−12.1%
1912	+13.4%
1916	−17.8%
1920	−22.4%
1924	−19.5%
1928	−32.8%
1932	+1.7%
1936	+0.2%
1940	+15.2%
1944	+17.5%
1948	−14.9%
1952	−22.4%
1956	−18.8%
1960	−21.7%
1964	−3.4%
1968	−26.1%
1972	−41.9%
1976	+4.1%
1980	−16.7%
1984	−28.9%
1988	−27.8%
1992	−2.3%
1996	−8.0%
2000	−21.3%
2004	−31.6%
2008	−38.5%
2012	−45.6%
2016	−59.2%
2020	−61.0%
2024	−64.9%

DemocraticRepublican

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−64.9%	5,175	24,758	30,171
2020	R	−61.0%	5,369	22,665	28,376
2016	R	−59.2%	4,366	18,033	23,075
2012	R	−45.6%	5,772	15,701	21,798
2008	R	−38.5%	6,913	15,786	23,026
2004	R	−31.6%	7,486	14,480	22,135
2000	R	−21.3%	7,697	11,952	19,990
1996	R	−8.0%	7,463	8,883	17,752
1992	R	−2.3%	8,355	8,808	19,474
1988	R	−27.8%	5,616	9,969	15,646
1984	R	−28.9%	6,153	11,179	17,415
1980	R	−16.7%	6,459	9,103	15,863
1976	D	+4.1%	8,274	7,613	15,974
1972	R	−41.9%	3,377	8,475	12,155
1968	R	−26.1%	3,382	6,827	13,186
1964	R	−3.4%	6,023	6,448	12,471
1960	R	−21.7%	4,802	7,486	12,371
1956	R	−18.8%	4,709	6,922	11,784
1952	R	−22.4%	4,194	6,628	10,886
1948	R	−14.9%	3,804	5,180	9,252
1944	D	+17.5%	5,162	3,623	8,785
1940	D	+15.2%	6,081	4,474	10,583
1936	D	+0.2%	5,071	5,050	10,179
1932	D	+1.7%	3,470	3,354	6,903
1928	R	−32.8%	2,600	5,140	7,754
1924	R	−19.5%	2,191	3,311	5,755
1920	R	−22.4%	2,348	3,715	6,098
1916	R	−17.8%	1,629	2,334	3,964
1912	D	+13.4%	1,429	1,004	3,171
1908	R	−12.1%	1,390	1,777	3,189
1904	R	−15.7%	1,564	2,150	3,740
1900	R	−14.5%	1,990	2,676	4,728
1896	R	−15.2%	2,109	2,876	5,037
1892	R	−11.0%	1,900	2,403	4,593
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Demographics

2024 ACS

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

Irish

14.7%

English

12.6%

German

12.5%

American

11.0%

Italian

3.0%

Scottish

1.8%

French

1.8%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

2024 ACS

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 43.0 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.6%

85+

1.2%

3.0%

75–84

3.5%

5.9%

65–74

6.2%

7.2%

55–64

7.3%

6.6%

45–54

6.6%

5.5%

35–44

5.8%

5.9%

25–34

5.6%

3.9%

18–24

4.3%

8.2%

5–17

7.4%

3.0%

2.6%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Median household income

Inflation-adjusted dollars

$61,451

Athens, TN ranks near the middle of US counties.

Athens, TN$61,451

Tennessee$69,595

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

13.3%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1816.1%

Working age (18–64)12.3%

Seniors (65+)13.0%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

96.5%

speak English only

Spanish1.9%

Other Indo-European1.1%

Asian & Pacific Islander0.2%

Other languages0.2%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

2020 religion census

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Baptist

43.2%

Methodist

8.2%

Other Christian

8.2%

Pentecostal & Holiness

3.4%

Mainline Protestant

1.1%

Catholic & Orthodox

0.4%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 35.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Athens anchors a small Tennessee metro where manufacturing employment has historically tracked closely with broader McMinn County voting patterns, and where population growth from retiree in-migration has gradually altered the electorate over the past two decades.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of eighteen points in 1944 and a Republican high of sixty-five points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was sixty-five points.

A population of 68,227, a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $61,451 describe the metro.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

Athens, TN, Tennessee. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/11940/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Athens, TN, Tennessee vote in 2024?

In 2024, Athens, TN, Tennessee voted Republican by 64.9 points (R+65), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 30,171 votes cast, 5,175 went Democratic and 24,758 went Republican.

What is Athens, TN, Tennessee's political typology?

Akashic places Athens, TN, Tennessee in the "Evangelical Deep South" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 6 times, Republican 28 times, and other 0 times.

When did Athens, TN, Tennessee last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which Athens, TN, Tennessee voted Democratic was 1976.

How many people live in Athens, TN, Tennessee?

Athens, TN, Tennessee has a population of 68,227 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Athens, TN, Tennessee?

Median household income in Athens, TN, Tennessee is $61,451 — below the national median of $80,734. The Tennessee state median is $69,595.

What is the political history of Athens, TN, Tennessee?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Athens, TN, Tennessee from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 28 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Evangelical Deep South" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.

McMinn County, TN	R +2,062
Meigs County, TN	R +870

Athens, TN has voted Republican in twelve straight presidential elections — R+65 in 2024.

Key facts

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions