akashic
1876–2024
Wilmington, NC·North Carolina

Wilmington, NC has voted Republican in six straight presidential elections — R+14 in 2024.

A port city metro where military households and coastal retirees reshape turnout

1876 — 2024·38 elections
NC
LatestR+14in 2024
TypologyIndustrial Catholic Metrocluster typology
Population453,3472024 ACS

Wilmington, NC, North Carolina: Industrial Catholic Metro metro. In 2024, voted R+14%. Democratic peak: D+66 in 1912.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+14MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
Population
453,3472024 5-year
Median household income
$76,5472024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
78.1%2024 5-year
Black
10.2%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
7.3%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+66 in 1912MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+48 in 1972MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Wilmington, NC
TrumpR+14
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Wilmington, NC, NCA map of the constituent counties of Wilmington, NC, NC, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Brunswick County, NC · R+25Pender County, NC · R+35New Hanover County, NC · D+1
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican56.3%161,649
Kamala HarrisDemocratic42.4%121,831
OtherAll other candidates1.2%3,541
D+60
R+60
3 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: −13.9% in 2024.flipped R · 2004−13.9%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892+14.5%
1896−5.7%
1900+51.3%
1904+57.0%
1908+32.6%
1912+66.1%
1916+37.5%
1920+42.9%
1924+41.9%
1928−22.1%
1932+48.6%
1936+58.5%
1940+59.3%
1944+44.0%
1948+18.8%
1952+6.5%
1956+6.6%
1960+18.3%
1964+5.8%
1968−1.8%
1972−47.6%
1976+15.0%
1980−2.5%
1984−23.7%
1988−16.6%
1992−2.0%
1996−5.9%
2000+9.8%
2004−15.3%
2008−8.2%
2012−12.1%
2016−15.4%
2020−11.7%
2024−13.9%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−13.9%
121,831161,649287,021
R
−11.7%
111,171141,137256,174
R
−15.4%
83,615115,703208,141
R
−12.1%
80,338102,745185,517
R
−8.2%
80,38394,915177,022
R
−15.3%
57,47478,313136,309
D
+9.8%
59,59148,825109,312
R
−5.9%
38,28943,49288,732
R
−2.0%
36,29338,02886,984
R
−16.6%
27,65938,74066,575
R
−23.7%
23,71938,52362,393
R
−2.5%
24,81326,15852,783
D
+15.0%
26,30319,38646,080
R
−47.6%
9,80928,54039,353
O
−1.8%
12,66413,43141,464
D
+5.8%
20,02917,82237,851
D
+18.3%
20,23113,96434,195
D
+6.6%
15,74013,77829,518
D
+6.5%
15,31013,44028,750
D
+18.8%
8,7505,36218,014
D
+44.0%
13,5455,26718,812
D
+59.3%
13,5663,46217,028
D
+58.5%
12,4683,26415,732
D
+48.6%
10,2683,49813,935
R
−22.1%
4,7767,47912,255
D
+41.9%
7,0282,73910,230
D
+42.9%
6,9352,7739,708
D
+37.5%
4,1351,8816,017
D
+66.1%
3,7654395,035
D
+32.6%
3,3941,7255,119
D
+57.0%
2,7217463,467
D
+51.3%
3,9091,2465,188
R
−5.7%
4,6555,22510,070
D
+14.5%
4,0352,9067,801
—
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
15.7%
Irish
13.4%
German
12.3%
Italian
6.1%
American
5.4%
Scottish
3.0%
Polish
2.5%
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: 45.7 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.8%
85+
1.2%
3.3%
75–84
3.7%
7.0%
65–74
8.1%
6.9%
55–64
8.0%
5.7%
45–54
6.0%
5.7%
35–44
6.1%
5.6%
25–34
5.8%
4.4%
18–24
4.7%
6.6%
5–17
6.2%
2.3%
<5
2.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$76,547
Wilmington, NC ranks near the middle of US counties.
Wilmington, NC$76,547
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
10.9%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1813.7%
Working age (18–64)10.6%
Seniors (65+)8.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
93.0%
speak English only
Spanish5.0%
Other Indo-European1.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.6%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
12.6%
Other Christian
10.1%
Baptist
10.0%
Methodist
7.6%
Mainline Protestant
3.2%
Non-Christian
1.2%
Pentecostal & Holiness
1.1%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 54.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

The Wilmington metro anchors southeastern North Carolina's fastest-growing corridor, where an influx of retirees and proximity to Camp Lejeune produce an electorate that swings notably on veterans' issues and coastal-economy concerns.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of sixty-six points in 1912 and a Republican high of forty-eight points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved two points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was fourteen points.

A population of 453,347, a 78% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $76,547 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.
Wilmington, NC, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/48900/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Wilmington, NC, North Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Wilmington, NC, North Carolina voted Republican by 13.9 points (R+14), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 287,021 votes cast, 121,831 went Democratic and 161,649 went Republican.
What is Wilmington, NC, North Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Wilmington, NC, North 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 19 times, Republican 14 times, and other 1 times.
When did Wilmington, NC, North Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Wilmington, NC, North Carolina voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in Wilmington, NC, North Carolina?
Wilmington, NC, North Carolina has a population of 453,347 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Wilmington, NC, North Carolina?
Median household income in Wilmington, NC, North Carolina is $76,547 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of Wilmington, NC, North Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Wilmington, NC, North Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 19 went Democratic and 14 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.