akashic
1876–2024
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC·North Carolina

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC has voted Democratic in six straight presidential elections — D+46 in 2024.

Research Triangle anchor where college towns tilt the electorate decisively left

1876 — 2024·38 elections
NC
LatestD+46in 2024
TypologyDiversifying Metrocluster typology
Population601,7242024 ACS

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina: Diversifying Metro metro. In 2024, voted D+46%. Democratic peak: D+63 in 1940.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
D+46MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Diversifying MetroAkashic typology
Population
601,7242024 5-year
Median household income
$84,5982024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
54.8%2024 5-year
Black
23.4%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
13.6%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+63 in 1940MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+21 in 1928MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
HarrisD+46
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, NCA map of the constituent counties of Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, NC, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Person County, NC · R+24Chatham County, NC · D+12Durham County, NC · D+62Orange County, NC · D+51
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Kamala Harris ✓Democratic72.1%247,203
Donald TrumpRepublican26.1%89,675
OtherAll other candidates1.8%6,178
D+60
R+60
4 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: +45.9% in 2024.flipped D · 2004+45.9%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892+8.1%
1896+17.9%
1900−1.6%
1904+16.3%
1908−2.0%
1912+43.5%
1916+9.0%
1920+8.1%
1924+19.0%
1928−21.3%
1932+40.2%
1936+58.8%
1940+63.0%
1944+46.4%
1948+38.5%
1952+23.8%
1956+6.2%
1960+15.8%
1964+21.3%
1968+7.8%
1972−18.1%
1976+15.4%
1980+14.6%
1984+3.7%
1988+10.2%
1992+24.0%
1996+23.2%
2000−21.2%
2004+27.6%
2008+40.4%
2012+39.4%
2016+45.3%
2020+46.7%
2024+45.9%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
D
+45.9%
247,20389,675343,056
D
+46.7%
243,53487,005335,404
D
+45.3%
210,07175,197297,938
D
+39.4%
191,90482,469278,032
D
+40.4%
183,57077,317263,319
D
+27.6%
136,52977,250214,940
R
−21.2%
65,050100,331166,712
D
+23.2%
91,75355,492156,101
D
+24.0%
89,76951,618158,789
D
+10.2%
69,14456,262126,217
D
+3.7%
63,79459,219123,357
D
+14.6%
51,45037,23297,229
D
+15.4%
48,55435,56484,517
R
−18.1%
34,07049,32484,280
D
+7.8%
31,10524,78580,581
D
+21.3%
42,11527,32269,437
D
+15.8%
35,46625,78761,253
D
+6.2%
26,16223,09149,253
D
+23.8%
32,62220,09452,716
D
+38.5%
21,5368,83233,003
D
+46.4%
22,4008,19530,595
D
+63.0%
25,7475,85231,599
D
+58.8%
23,9356,20130,136
D
+40.2%
17,1187,13424,844
R
−21.3%
10,19615,72825,924
D
+19.0%
11,7387,93819,981
D
+8.1%
11,4719,75921,230
D
+9.0%
6,4855,41311,912
D
+43.5%
5,6661,15010,375
R
−2.0%
5,1475,35910,519
D
+16.3%
4,9963,5888,629
R
−1.6%
6,6036,82013,485
D
+17.9%
8,7406,08014,901
D
+8.1%
5,4354,32713,750
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Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
13.0%
German
9.3%
Irish
8.5%
American
4.7%
Italian
3.9%
Scottish
2.6%
Polish
1.9%
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: 38.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.6%
85+
1.0%
2.2%
75–84
2.9%
4.6%
65–74
5.5%
5.7%
55–64
6.3%
5.9%
45–54
6.2%
6.5%
35–44
6.6%
7.2%
25–34
7.7%
5.5%
18–24
6.1%
7.4%
5–17
7.1%
2.6%
<5
2.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$84,598
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ranks near the middle of US counties.
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC$84,598
North Carolina$72,388
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
12.1%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1815.7%
Working age (18–64)11.3%
Seniors (65+)8.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
81.7%
speak English only
Spanish11.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander3.2%
Other Indo-European2.5%
Other languages1.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Baptist
11.3%
Catholic & Orthodox
9.3%
Other Christian
9.3%
Methodist
6.9%
Mainline Protestant
3.4%
Non-Christian
3.0%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.7%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 54.2% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Home to Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC Central, Durham-Chapel Hill posts some of North Carolina's widest Democratic margins—Biden carried the metro by roughly 40 points in 2020—driven by a dense concentration of university employees, graduate students, and a historically Black urban core.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of sixty-three points in 1940 and a Republican high of twenty-one points in 1928. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved one point toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was forty-six points.

A population of 601,724, a 55% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $84,598 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.
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/20500/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina voted Democratic by 45.9 points (D+46), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 343,056 votes cast, 247,203 went Democratic and 89,675 went Republican.
What is Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina in the "Diversifying 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 29 times, Republican 5 times, and other 0 times.
When did Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina voted Republican was 2000.
How many people live in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina?
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina has a population of 601,724 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina?
Median household income in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina is $84,598 — above the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, North Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 29 went Democratic and 5 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Diversifying Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.