akashic
1876–2024
Sumter, SC·South Carolina

Sumter, SC has voted Democratic in six straight presidential elections — D+5 in 2024.

A mid-size metro where military presence shapes the electorate

1876 — 2024·38 elections
SC
LatestD+5in 2024
TypologyBlack Beltcluster typology
Population104,7252024 ACS

Sumter, SC, South Carolina: Black Belt metro. In 2024, voted D+5%. Democratic peak: D+97 in 1936.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
D+5MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Black BeltAkashic typology
Population
104,7252024 5-year
Median household income
$56,6932024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
44.9%2024 5-year
Black
46.0%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
4.4%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+97 in 1936MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+40 in 1952MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Sumter, SC
HarrisD+5
—
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Kamala Harris ✓Democratic51.9%23,425
Donald TrumpRepublican47.0%21,215
OtherAll other candidates1.2%530
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 timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1876 to 2024. Most recent: +4.9% in 2024.flipped D · 2004+4.9%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892+41.1%
1896+64.4%
1900+77.8%
1904+74.1%
1908+74.9%
1912+91.6%
1916+79.9%
1920+71.1%
1924+91.9%
1928+74.7%
1932+96.4%
1936+97.3%
1940No data
1944+84.9%
1948+13.0%
1952−40.2%
1956−6.9%
1960−27.8%
1964−34.4%
1968+4.0%
1972−30.3%
1976+5.7%
1980−6.7%
1984−14.8%
1988−16.0%
1992−2.7%
1996+0.5%
2000−5.1%
2004+1.7%
2008+15.4%
2012+17.6%
2016+12.0%
2020+13.0%
2024+4.9%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
D
+4.9%
23,42521,21545,170
D
+13.0%
27,37921,00048,920
D
+12.0%
24,04718,74544,086
D
+17.6%
27,58919,27447,309
D
+15.4%
25,43118,58144,358
D
+1.7%
18,69518,07437,003
R
−5.1%
14,36515,91530,672
D
+0.5%
12,19812,08025,392
R
−2.7%
11,85212,57626,596
R
−16.0%
9,50213,16122,801
R
−14.8%
9,56612,90922,590
R
−6.7%
9,20510,55720,126
D
+5.7%
10,4719,33219,912
R
−30.3%
5,80110,89216,800
D
+4.0%
6,1035,45116,308
R
−34.4%
3,7757,72911,504
R
−27.8%
2,6164,6337,249
O
−6.9%
9371,3566,034
R
−40.2%
2,0144,7266,740
O
+13.0%
6051543,477
D
+84.9%
2,111732,401
—
No data
———
D
+97.3%
2,06202,120
D
+96.4%
1,80901,876
D
+74.7%
1,2021741,376
D
+91.9%
1,136181,216
D
+71.1%
1,1501941,344
D
+79.9%
1,3571421,520
D
+91.6%
9100993
D
+74.9%
1,2281731,409
D
+74.1%
9191371,056
D
+77.8%
1,1991501,349
D
+64.4%
1,5503261,900
D
+41.1%
1,5356392,182
—
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.
English
7.8%
Irish
5.6%
German
5.5%
American
5.4%
Italian
2.4%
Scottish
1.8%
Polish
1.1%
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: 38.0 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.7%
85+
1.7%
2.3%
75–84
2.7%
4.7%
65–74
5.8%
5.8%
55–64
6.7%
5.0%
45–54
5.8%
5.5%
35–44
6.1%
7.0%
25–34
6.7%
5.1%
18–24
4.7%
8.8%
5–17
8.5%
3.4%
<5
3.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$56,693
Sumter, SC ranks near the middle of US counties.
Sumter, SC$56,693
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
16.6%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1820.1%
Working age (18–64)15.3%
Seniors (65+)16.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
93.9%
speak English only
Spanish3.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.2%
Other Indo-European1.1%
Other languages0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Baptist
19.4%
Other Christian
13.6%
Methodist
9.5%
Pentecostal & Holiness
4.1%
Catholic & Orthodox
4.1%
Mainline Protestant
2.0%
Non-Christian
0.4%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 46.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Shaw Air Force Base anchors Sumter's economy and demographic profile, drawing a transient population that can dampen long-term partisan entrenchment despite the surrounding Lowcountry counties leaning reliably in one direction by double-digit margins.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of ninety-seven points in 1936 and a Republican high of forty points in 1952. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved eight points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was five points.

A population of 104,725, a 45% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $56,693 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.
Sumter, SC, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/44940/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Sumter, SC, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Sumter, SC, South Carolina voted Democratic by 4.9 points (D+5), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 45,170 votes cast, 23,425 went Democratic and 21,215 went Republican.
What is Sumter, SC, South Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Sumter, SC, South Carolina in the "Black Belt" 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 22 times, Republican 9 times, and other 2 times.
When did Sumter, SC, South Carolina last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Sumter, SC, South Carolina voted Republican was 2000.
How many people live in Sumter, SC, South Carolina?
Sumter, SC, South Carolina has a population of 104,725 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Sumter, SC, South Carolina?
Median household income in Sumter, SC, South Carolina is $56,693 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of Sumter, SC, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Sumter, SC, South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 22 went Democratic and 9 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Black Belt" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.