Columbia, SC, South Carolina: Industrial Catholic Metro market. In 2024, voted D+1%. Democratic peak: D+98 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+1MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 1,122,7462024 5-year
- Median household income
- $64,5202024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 51.9%2024 5-year
- Black
- 37.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 6.3%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+98 in 1932MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+37 in 1972MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Columbia, SC
HarrisD+1
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
| Kamala Harris ✓Democratic | 49.7% | 256,488 |
|---|---|---|
| Donald TrumpRepublican | 48.7% | 251,166 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 1.6% | 8,001 |
D+60R+60
11 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
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | +59.9% |
| 1896 | +76.0% |
| 1900 | +89.4% |
| 1904 | +90.0% |
| 1908 | +85.9% |
| 1912 | +94.2% |
| 1916 | +89.4% |
| 1920 | +87.5% |
| 1924 | +95.0% |
| 1928 | +87.6% |
| 1932 | +97.8% |
| 1936 | +98.4% |
| 1940 | +95.1% |
| 1944 | +87.9% |
| 1948 | +13.0% |
| 1952 | −22.2% |
| 1956 | +8.7% |
| 1960 | −17.7% |
| 1964 | −28.0% |
| 1968 | −7.1% |
| 1972 | −37.0% |
| 1976 | +5.4% |
| 1980 | −5.4% |
| 1984 | −22.7% |
| 1988 | −19.0% |
| 1992 | −1.5% |
| 1996 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | −6.4% |
| 2004 | −3.7% |
| 2008 | +5.9% |
| 2012 | +7.7% |
| 2016 | +4.7% |
| 2020 | +7.4% |
| 2024 | +1.0% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 256,488 | 251,166 | 515,655 | ||
| D | 284,031 | 244,156 | 535,640 | ||
| D | 236,404 | 214,259 | 470,544 | ||
| D | 244,836 | 209,391 | 459,916 | ||
| D | 239,104 | 212,309 | 455,835 | ||
| R | 182,272 | 196,405 | 382,154 | ||
| R | 152,938 | 174,420 | 334,611 | ||
| D | 132,944 | 129,080 | 276,123 | ||
| R | 134,250 | 138,667 | 302,577 | ||
| R | 96,701 | 142,851 | 243,347 | ||
| R | 91,737 | 146,648 | 241,738 | ||
| R | 100,447 | 112,165 | 218,517 | ||
| D | 104,843 | 94,033 | 200,079 | ||
| R | 53,484 | 117,640 | 173,477 | ||
| R | 53,497 | 65,021 | 162,709 | ||
| R | 45,155 | 80,281 | 125,437 | ||
| R | 34,823 | 49,830 | 84,653 | ||
| O | 20,228 | 14,784 | 62,846 | ||
| R | 28,162 | 44,277 | 72,439 | ||
| O | 5,359 | 1,276 | 31,488 | ||
| D | 21,080 | 524 | 23,398 | ||
| D | 16,145 | 407 | 16,552 | ||
| D | 23,345 | 0 | 23,721 | ||
| D | 17,760 | 0 | 18,161 | ||
| D | 13,993 | 919 | 14,917 | ||
| D | 12,095 | 233 | 12,487 | ||
| D | 15,209 | 1,004 | 16,228 | ||
| D | 15,340 | 731 | 16,334 | ||
| D | 10,567 | 0 | 11,214 | ||
| D | 15,714 | 1,177 | 16,932 | ||
| D | 13,656 | 721 | 14,377 | ||
| D | 10,749 | 599 | 11,348 | ||
| D | 13,361 | 1,797 | 15,222 | ||
| D | 12,276 | 2,952 | 15,561 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — |
Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
9.3%
German
8.8%
Irish
6.8%
American
6.2%
Italian
2.4%
Scottish
1.7%
French
0.8%
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: 38.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$64,520
Columbia, SC ranks near the middle of US counties.
Columbia, SC$64,520
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
15.6%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1820.7%
Working age (18–64)14.3%
Seniors (65+)12.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
92.2%
speak English only
Spanish4.6%
Other Indo-European1.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.2%
Other languages0.6%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 45.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
The Columbia DMA anchors South Carolina's Midlands, blending a large state-government workforce, two major universities, and Fort Jackson — the Army's largest basic-training post — into an electorate that swings differently than the coast or Upstate.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of ninety-eight points in 1936 and a Republican high of thirty-seven points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the market moved six points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was one point.
A population of 1,122,746, a 52% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $64,520 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.
Columbia, SC, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/dma/546/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Columbia, SC, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Columbia, SC, South Carolina voted Democratic by 1.0 points (D+1), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 515,655 votes cast, 256,488 went Democratic and 251,166 went Republican.
What is Columbia, SC, South Carolina's political typology?
Akashic places Columbia, SC, South 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 market has voted Democratic 21 times, Republican 11 times, and other 2 times.
When did Columbia, SC, South Carolina last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Columbia, SC, South Carolina voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in Columbia, SC, South Carolina?
Columbia, SC, South Carolina has a population of 1,122,746 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Columbia, SC, South Carolina?
Median household income in Columbia, SC, South Carolina is $64,520 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of Columbia, SC, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Columbia, SC, South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 21 went Democratic and 11 went Republican. The market's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.