Cortland, NY Metro Area — Elections 1876–2024

Cortland, NY, New York: Industrial Catholic Metro metro. In 2024, voted R+6%. Republican peak: R+60 in 1924.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+6MIT Election Lab
Political typology: Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
Population: 46,2462024 5-year
Median household income: $70,4182024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 90.0%2024 5-year
Black: 1.9%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 3.6%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+29 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+60 in 1924MIT Election Lab

2024 presidential election

Cortland, NY

TrumpR+6

—

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Donald Trump ✓Republican	53.1%	11,706
Kamala HarrisDemocratic	46.6%	10,290
OtherAll other candidates	0.3%	67

D+60

R+60

1 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin.

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	−15.9%
1896	−30.4%
1900	−26.4%
1904	−31.2%
1908	−30.3%
1912	−9.1%
1916	−23.9%
1920	−56.4%
1924	−60.3%
1928	−52.3%
1932	−37.3%
1936	−42.7%
1940	−40.7%
1944	−35.5%
1948	−38.1%
1952	−54.8%
1956	−59.2%
1960	−35.0%
1964	+28.7%
1968	−26.3%
1972	−42.1%
1976	−23.4%
1980	−20.6%
1984	−35.9%
1988	−17.4%
1992	+0.2%
1996	+7.8%
2000	−0.8%
2004	−4.1%
2008	+10.0%
2012	+9.1%
2016	−5.6%
2020	−1.9%
2024	−6.4%

DemocraticRepublican

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−6.4%	10,290	11,706	22,063
2020	R	−1.9%	10,370	10,789	21,679
2016	R	−5.6%	8,771	9,900	20,244
2012	D	+9.1%	10,482	8,695	19,624
2008	D	+10.0%	11,861	9,678	21,920
2004	R	−4.1%	10,670	11,613	22,760
2000	R	−0.8%	9,691	9,857	20,726
1996	D	+7.8%	9,130	7,606	19,449
1992	D	+0.2%	7,815	7,782	20,851
1988	R	−17.4%	7,673	10,934	18,769
1984	R	−35.9%	6,438	13,691	20,224
1980	R	−20.6%	6,176	9,885	18,048
1976	R	−23.4%	6,947	11,222	18,300
1972	R	−42.1%	5,234	12,885	18,156
1968	R	−26.3%	5,791	10,209	16,801
1964	D	+28.7%	11,110	6,149	17,270
1960	R	−35.0%	5,921	12,305	18,235
1956	R	−59.2%	3,612	14,085	17,697
1952	R	−54.8%	4,079	13,985	18,093
1948	R	−38.1%	4,614	10,433	15,283
1944	R	−35.5%	4,967	10,450	15,441
1940	R	−40.7%	5,147	12,233	17,411
1936	R	−42.7%	4,606	11,718	16,637
1932	R	−37.3%	4,425	9,859	14,585
1928	R	−52.3%	3,662	11,960	15,869
1924	R	−60.3%	2,170	10,032	13,041
1920	R	−56.4%	2,541	9,606	12,516
1916	R	−23.9%	2,693	4,521	7,636
1912	R	−9.1%	2,283	2,959	7,399
1908	R	−30.3%	2,616	5,090	8,176
1904	R	−31.2%	2,649	5,222	8,244
1900	R	−26.4%	2,773	4,895	8,026
1896	R	−30.4%	2,574	4,939	7,791
1892	R	−15.9%	2,907	4,134	7,717
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

16.4%

English

15.8%

German

14.6%

Italian

9.8%

American

9.4%

Polish

2.6%

French

1.7%

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: 37.0 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.5%

85+

1.2%

2.4%

75–84

2.8%

4.9%

65–74

5.3%

6.7%

55–64

6.4%

5.8%

45–54

5.2%

5.6%

35–44

5.4%

5.7%

25–34

5.5%

8.4%

18–24

9.7%

7.2%

5–17

6.5%

2.4%

2.3%

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

2024 ACS

Median household income

Inflation-adjusted dollars

$70,418

Cortland, NY ranks near the middle of US counties.

Cortland, NY$70,418

New York$85,974

United States$80,734

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

2024 ACS

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

12.8%

Child poverty is below the national average.

Children under 1811.0%

Working age (18–64)13.5%

Seniors (65+)9.8%

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

2024 ACS

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

94.4%

speak English only

Other Indo-European2.5%

Spanish1.3%

Asian & Pacific Islander1.1%

Other languages0.7%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

2020 religion census

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Catholic & Orthodox

19.0%

Methodist

5.4%

Other Christian

4.5%

Mainline Protestant

2.5%

Baptist

0.7%

Pentecostal & Holiness

0.6%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 67.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Cortland County's electorate reflects the pull of a mid-size state university campus alongside a declining manufacturing workforce, producing a competitive mix that has shifted measurably in presidential cycles over the past two decades.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of twenty-nine points in 1964 and a Republican high of sixty points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was six points.

A population of 46,246, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $70,418 describe the metro.

Compare two places, side by side

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Cite this page

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

Cortland, NY, New York. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/18660/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Cortland, NY, New York vote in 2024?

In 2024, Cortland, NY, New York voted Republican by 6.4 points (R+6), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 22,063 votes cast, 10,290 went Democratic and 11,706 went Republican.

What is Cortland, NY, New York's political typology?

Akashic places Cortland, NY, New York 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 5 times, Republican 29 times, and other 0 times.

When did Cortland, NY, New York last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which Cortland, NY, New York voted Democratic was 2012.

How many people live in Cortland, NY, New York?

Cortland, NY, New York has a population of 46,246 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Cortland, NY, New York?

Median household income in Cortland, NY, New York is $70,418 — below the national median of $80,734. The New York state median is $85,974.

What is the political history of Cortland, NY, New York?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Cortland, NY, New York from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 29 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.

Cortland, NY delivered R+6 in 2024.

Key facts

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions