akashic
1876–2024
Columbus, NE·Nebraska

Columbus, NE has voted Republican in fifteen straight presidential elections — R+57 in 2024.

A university hub that tilts sharply left in a sea of rural red

1876 — 2024·38 elections
NE
LatestR+57in 2024
TypologyTexan Rightcluster typology
Population45,3572024 ACS

Columbus, NE, Nebraska: Texan Right metro. In 2024, voted R+57%. Republican peak: R+62 in 1984.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+57MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Texan RightAkashic typology
Population
45,3572024 5-year
Median household income
$74,1272024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
69.7%2024 5-year
Black
1.6%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
29.4%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+62 in 1932MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+62 in 1984MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Columbus, NE
TrumpR+57
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Columbus, NE, NEA map of the constituent counties of Columbus, NE, NE, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Colfax County, NE · R+51Platte County, NE · R+58
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican77.7%14,962
Kamala HarrisDemocratic21.0%4,036
OtherAll other candidates1.3%257
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 timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1876 to 2024. Most recent: −56.7% in 2024.flipped R · 1968−56.7%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892+5.3%
1896+20.8%
1900+13.4%
1904−14.3%
1908+15.3%
1912+30.2%
1916+17.5%
1920−43.8%
1924−0.9%
1928+21.2%
1932+61.6%
1936+34.0%
1940−9.4%
1944−9.6%
1948−4.8%
1952−41.9%
1956−35.8%
1960−15.1%
1964+4.9%
1968−31.7%
1972−45.8%
1976−27.6%
1980−53.4%
1984−61.7%
1988−40.1%
1992−34.5%
1996−36.6%
2000−53.9%
2004−57.2%
2008−38.9%
2012−48.3%
2016−54.6%
2020−54.2%
2024−56.7%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−56.7%
4,03614,96219,255
R
−54.2%
4,28514,82219,447
R
−54.6%
3,50513,13617,647
R
−48.3%
4,11712,11216,542
R
−38.9%
4,92111,39116,623
R
−57.2%
3,64713,71917,620
R
−53.9%
3,47512,19916,174
R
−36.6%
4,0759,90215,936
R
−34.5%
3,4359,65118,021
R
−40.1%
4,82711,36916,294
R
−61.7%
3,04213,06816,238
R
−53.4%
3,28212,06216,429
R
−27.6%
5,3599,58115,302
R
−45.8%
3,96210,67014,632
R
−31.7%
3,9318,08113,095
D
+4.9%
7,3676,67714,044
R
−15.1%
6,3628,63314,995
R
−35.8%
4,4489,41713,865
R
−41.9%
4,10310,02714,130
R
−4.8%
5,2145,74010,954
R
−9.6%
5,6266,82312,449
R
−9.4%
6,2237,51613,739
D
+34.0%
9,4594,49414,587
D
+61.6%
10,7672,51213,406
D
+21.2%
7,4944,86712,404
O
−0.9%
3,4663,55810,583
R
−43.8%
2,3246,0508,498
D
+17.5%
4,0402,8156,984
D
+30.2%
3,0131,2095,980
D
+15.3%
3,7542,7436,629
R
−14.3%
2,2793,1275,924
D
+13.4%
3,4742,6416,201
D
+20.8%
3,5192,2825,941
O
+5.3%
1,5091,2544,775
—
No data
———
—
No data
———
—
No data
———
—
No data
———

Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
31.1%
Irish
7.6%
Polish
6.6%
English
5.7%
American
2.6%
French
1.1%
Italian
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: 37.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.7%
85+
1.7%
2.4%
75–84
2.4%
5.1%
65–74
4.9%
6.6%
55–64
5.8%
5.7%
45–54
5.2%
6.8%
35–44
5.7%
5.9%
25–34
5.3%
4.7%
18–24
3.7%
10.4%
5–17
10.1%
3.3%
<5
3.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$74,127
Columbus, NE ranks near the middle of US counties.
Columbus, NE$74,127
Nebraska$76,475
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.1%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 189.1%
Working age (18–64)8.7%
Seniors (65+)12.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
74.8%
speak English only
Spanish23.6%
Other languages0.9%
Other Indo-European0.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
44.1%
Mainline Protestant
17.4%
Methodist
3.9%
Other Christian
3.3%
Baptist
0.9%
Pentecostal & Holiness
0.6%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 29.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Columbus anchors Platte County, where a growing Latino population tied to meatpacking and food-processing industries has reshaped the demographic mix — yet the metro still swung decisively toward Democrats by 43 points in 2024.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of sixty-two points in 1932 and a Republican high of sixty-two points in 1984. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was fifty-seven points.

A population of 45,357, a 70% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $74,127 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.
Columbus, NE, Nebraska. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/18100/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Columbus, NE, Nebraska vote in 2024?
In 2024, Columbus, NE, Nebraska voted Republican by 56.7 points (R+57), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 19,255 votes cast, 4,036 went Democratic and 14,962 went Republican.
What is Columbus, NE, Nebraska's political typology?
Akashic places Columbus, NE, Nebraska in the "Texan Right" 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 9 times, Republican 23 times, and other 2 times.
When did Columbus, NE, Nebraska last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Columbus, NE, Nebraska voted Democratic was 1964.
How many people live in Columbus, NE, Nebraska?
Columbus, NE, Nebraska has a population of 45,357 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Columbus, NE, Nebraska?
Median household income in Columbus, NE, Nebraska is $74,127 — below the national median of $80,734. The Nebraska state median is $76,475.
What is the political history of Columbus, NE, Nebraska?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Columbus, NE, Nebraska from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 9 went Democratic and 23 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Texan Right" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.