akashic
1876–2024
Columbia, SC·South Carolina

Columbia, SC moved 5 points toward the Republican candidate between 2020 and 2024.

State capital anchors a metro whose suburban ring has shifted markedly since 2008

1876 — 2024·38 elections
SC
LatestTiedin 2024
TypologyIndustrial Catholic Metrocluster typology
Population849,1812024 ACS

Columbia, SC, South Carolina: Industrial Catholic Metro metro. In 2024, voted a near-tie. Democratic peak: D+98 in 1936.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
TiedMIT Election Lab
Political typology
Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
Population
849,1812024 5-year
Median household income
$68,2752024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
54.5%2024 5-year
Black
33.4%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
7.0%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+98 in 1932MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+42 in 1972MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Columbia, SC
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Columbia, SC, SCA map of the constituent counties of Columbia, SC, SC, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Richland County, SC · D+35Calhoun County, SC · R+14Saluda County, SC · R+44Lexington County, SC · R+33Fairfield County, SC · D+13Kershaw County, SC · R+28
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Kamala Harris ✓Democratic49.3%192,821
Donald TrumpRepublican49.1%191,991
OtherAll other candidates1.6%6,178
D+60
R+60
6 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 timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1876 to 2024. Most recent: +0.2% in 2024.flipped D · 2008+0.2%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892+64.3%
1896+73.5%
1900+93.3%
1904+93.3%
1908+89.5%
1912+93.7%
1916+89.1%
1920+89.1%
1924+95.6%
1928+85.2%
1932+98.0%
1936+98.3%
1940+95.3%
1944+91.0%
1948+15.8%
1952−19.9%
1956+5.2%
1960−20.8%
1964−25.1%
1968−16.1%
1972−41.7%
1976+0.6%
1980−12.8%
1984−31.1%
1988−25.5%
1992−6.3%
1996−3.7%
2000−10.8%
2004−9.7%
2008+0.9%
2012+1.7%
2016+1.0%
2020+5.5%
2024+0.2%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
D
+0.2%
192,821191,991390,990
D
+5.5%
208,820186,741401,720
D
+1.0%
166,891163,377347,190
D
+1.7%
164,546158,932328,016
D
+0.9%
165,069162,165330,494
R
−9.7%
122,349149,020274,080
R
−10.8%
104,445130,495240,901
R
−3.7%
87,81495,022193,078
R
−6.3%
88,575101,906212,651
R
−25.5%
60,266102,709166,436
R
−31.1%
53,757103,627160,258
R
−12.8%
59,44277,617142,074
D
+0.6%
66,32865,579132,734
R
−41.7%
32,72480,678115,027
R
−16.1%
30,22246,468101,039
R
−25.1%
30,56351,07681,639
R
−20.8%
22,55334,38156,934
O
+5.2%
12,50510,42639,624
R
−19.9%
18,02126,98845,009
O
+15.8%
3,72185918,164
D
+91.0%
12,77221713,797
D
+95.3%
10,07124210,313
D
+98.3%
13,416013,644
D
+98.0%
8,46508,638
D
+85.2%
7,8146258,439
D
+95.6%
6,8151157,011
D
+89.1%
7,8824558,339
D
+89.1%
7,9503798,496
D
+93.7%
5,39805,762
D
+89.5%
8,0644358,528
D
+93.3%
6,1342146,348
D
+93.3%
4,5961594,755
D
+73.5%
6,1079187,056
D
+64.3%
4,2238185,297
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Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
10.1%
German
9.6%
Irish
7.5%
American
6.1%
Italian
2.6%
Scottish
1.8%
French
0.8%
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: 37.5 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.6%
85+
1.0%
2.0%
75–84
2.6%
4.5%
65–74
5.4%
5.9%
55–64
6.5%
5.8%
45–54
6.2%
6.2%
35–44
6.7%
6.5%
25–34
6.9%
5.7%
18–24
5.4%
8.4%
5–17
8.1%
2.8%
<5
2.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$68,275
Columbia, SC ranks near the middle of US counties.
Columbia, SC$68,275
South Carolina$69,324
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
14.6%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1819.2%
Working age (18–64)13.4%
Seniors (65+)11.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
91.4%
speak English only
Spanish5.0%
Other Indo-European1.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.3%
Other languages0.6%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
15.4%
Baptist
15.1%
Methodist
8.5%
Catholic & Orthodox
6.7%
Mainline Protestant
5.4%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.2%
Non-Christian
1.3%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 45.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Columbia's Richland County core votes reliably Democratic while the fast-growing Lexington County suburbs have trended competitive, making the metro a reliable bellwether for statewide margin analysis.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of ninety-eight points in 1936 and a Republican high of forty-two points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved five points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was zero points.

A population of 849,181, a 55% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $68,275 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.
Columbia, SC, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/17900/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Columbia, SC, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Columbia, SC, South Carolina voted a near-tie (Tied), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 390,990 votes cast, 192,821 went Democratic and 191,991 went Republican.
What is Columbia, SC, South Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Columbia, SC, South Carolina in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" 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 20 times, Republican 12 times, and other 2 times.
When did Columbia, SC, South Carolina last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Columbia, SC, South Carolina voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in Columbia, SC, South Carolina?
Columbia, SC, South Carolina has a population of 849,181 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Columbia, SC, South Carolina?
Median household income in Columbia, SC, South Carolina is $68,275 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of Columbia, SC, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Columbia, SC, South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 20 went Democratic and 12 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.