Pittsburgh Media Market — Elections 1876–2024

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Industrial Catholic Metro market. In 2024, voted R+8%. Republican peak: R+45 in 1904.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+8MIT Election Lab
Political typology: Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
Population: 2,821,4502024 5-year
Median household income: $74,6002024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 84.3%2024 5-year
Black: 7.2%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 2.4%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+35 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+45 in 1904MIT Election Lab

2024 presidential election

Pittsburgh

TrumpR+8

—

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Donald Trump ✓Republican	53.4%	856,016
Kamala HarrisDemocratic	45.3%	727,001
OtherAll other candidates	1.3%	20,456

D+60

R+60

16 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 time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1876	No data
1880	No data
1884	No data
1888	No data
1892	−11.4%
1896	−26.9%
1900	−27.0%
1904	−44.9%
1908	−23.6%
1912	+10.6%
1916	−12.3%
1920	−40.2%
1924	−44.9%
1928	−25.9%
1932	+7.7%
1936	+27.2%
1940	+12.8%
1944	+10.4%
1948	+10.1%
1952	+2.6%
1956	−7.9%
1960	+9.0%
1964	+34.9%
1968	+13.2%
1972	−15.6%
1976	+6.7%
1980	+3.9%
1984	+9.8%
1988	+16.4%
1992	+19.8%
1996	+10.7%
2000	+5.6%
2004	+1.6%
2008	+0.8%
2012	−4.1%
2016	−9.0%
2020	−6.8%
2024	−8.0%

DemocraticRepublican

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−8.0%	727,001	856,016	1,603,473
2020	R	−6.8%	724,053	831,745	1,574,717
2016	R	−9.0%	610,812	738,252	1,413,486
2012	R	−4.1%	624,991	678,687	1,324,200
2008	D	+0.8%	688,397	677,276	1,380,851
2004	D	+1.6%	692,813	670,224	1,371,504
2000	D	+5.6%	625,081	556,853	1,216,909
1996	D	+10.7%	564,543	443,085	1,131,181
1992	D	+19.8%	630,813	381,890	1,257,432
1988	D	+16.4%	676,460	484,129	1,170,795
1984	D	+9.8%	716,689	587,880	1,315,840
1980	D	+3.9%	591,259	543,233	1,223,272
1976	D	+6.7%	656,117	572,060	1,254,676
1972	R	−15.6%	516,347	712,663	1,254,873
1968	D	+13.2%	682,426	506,802	1,330,725
1964	D	+34.9%	908,590	437,234	1,350,628
1960	D	+9.0%	770,378	642,675	1,415,720
1956	R	−7.9%	606,300	710,833	1,319,025
1952	D	+2.6%	692,126	656,397	1,354,121
1948	D	+10.1%	575,428	467,150	1,068,243
1944	D	+10.4%	610,520	494,505	1,110,733
1940	D	+12.8%	660,804	510,335	1,176,202
1936	D	+27.2%	700,977	395,500	1,123,896
1932	D	+7.7%	387,758	330,014	750,737
1928	R	−25.9%	285,298	487,118	779,549
1924	R	−44.9%	81,658	330,009	553,590
1920	R	−40.2%	110,625	287,788	440,980
1916	R	−12.3%	121,680	159,560	306,891
1912	O	+10.6%	83,604	53,668	282,583
1908	R	−23.6%	95,411	161,939	282,093
1904	R	−44.9%	66,717	186,691	267,224
1900	R	−27.0%	88,786	157,202	253,249
1896	R	−26.9%	93,399	164,137	263,175
1892	R	−11.4%	87,756	111,456	207,863
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.

German

24.2%

Irish

16.4%

Italian

13.9%

English

9.6%

Polish

7.1%

American

3.7%

Scottish

2.0%

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: 42.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.9%

85+

1.7%

2.6%

75–84

3.5%

6.0%

65–74

6.5%

6.9%

55–64

7.2%

5.9%

45–54

5.8%

6.4%

35–44

6.1%

6.6%

25–34

6.3%

4.5%

18–24

4.4%

7.1%

5–17

6.7%

2.5%

2.3%

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

2024 ACS

Median household income

Inflation-adjusted dollars

$74,600

Pittsburgh ranks near the middle of US counties.

Pittsburgh$74,600

Pennsylvania$77,971

United States$80,734

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

2024 ACS

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

11.6%

Child poverty is below the national average.

Children under 1814.7%

Working age (18–64)10.8%

Seniors (65+)11.2%

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

2024 ACS

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

94.3%

speak English only

Other Indo-European2.4%

Spanish1.4%

Asian & Pacific Islander1.4%

Other languages0.5%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

2020 religion census

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Catholic & Orthodox

28.3%

Other Christian

7.8%

Mainline Protestant

5.6%

Methodist

5.0%

Non-Christian

2.1%

Pentecostal & Holiness

1.9%

Baptist

1.8%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 47.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

The Pittsburgh media market spans Allegheny County's Democratic core and a broad ring of ancestrally blue, now competitive collar counties, making marginal swings here disproportionately consequential in Pennsylvania statewide races.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of thirty-five points in 1964 and a Republican high of forty-five points in 1904. Between 2020 and 2024 the market moved one point toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was eight points.

A population of 2,821,450, a 84% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $74,600 describe the market.

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.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Akashic. https://akashic.app/dma/508/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania vote in 2024?

In 2024, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania voted Republican by 8.0 points (R+8), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 1,603,473 votes cast, 727,001 went Democratic and 856,016 went Republican.

What is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's political typology?

Akashic places Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 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 market has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 15 times, and other 1 times.

When did Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania voted Democratic was 2008.

How many people live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has a population of 2,821,450 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?

Median household income in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is $74,600 — below the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.

What is the political history of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The market's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.

Allegheny County, PA	D +22,374
Fayette County, PA	R +8,722
Washington County, PA	R +6,279

Pittsburgh delivered R+8 in 2024.

Key facts

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions