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Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL)

Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL)

Latest: 2024↓ R+4.6 vs 2020

Leans Republican — shifted 4.6pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 613K residents — 16 counties

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Race & ancestry
Group%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
50.1%
▶Hispanic / Latino(17)
6.5%
▶Black / African American(11)
37.0%
▶Asian(6)
2.5%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(6)
0.2%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
0.3%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3)
0.1%
Multiracial / Other
3.6%
View full demographics →
Religious adherence
Tradition% Pop% Adherents
Evangelical Protestant28.1%57.2%
Black Protestant9.1%18.5%
Mainline Protestant6.5%13.2%
Catholic3.1%6.2%
Other2.4%4.8%
LDS (Mormon)1.0%2.0%
Non-religious50.9%—
View full religion →
Presidential results
YearResult
2024Trump+7.2
2020Trump+2.5
2016Trump+5.0
2012Obama+0.7
2008McCain+0.3
2004Bush+9.4
2000Bush+1.3
1996Clinton+6.5
1992Clinton+5.7
View full election history →

Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL) is a media market that has a population of 612,849. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+7.2. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.

Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL) Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
YearDem %Rep %MarginSwing
202445.9%53.1%R+7.2R+4.6
202048.1%50.6%R+2.5D+2.5
201646.0%51.1%R+5.0R+5.7
201249.8%49.1%D+0.7D+1.0
200849.5%49.8%R+0.3D+9.1
200445.0%54.4%R+9.4R+8.1
200048.6%49.9%R+1.3R+7.8
199650.2%43.7%D+6.5D+0.8
199247.5%41.8%D+5.7D+19.1
198842.9%56.3%R+13.4R+3.4
198444.7%54.7%R+10.0R+26.6
198056.4%39.8%D+16.6R+6.5
197661.0%37.9%D+23.1D+75.1
197223.5%75.5%R+52.0R+74.7
196842.6%19.9%D+22.7D+57.4
196432.6%67.4%R+34.8R+58.1
196061.5%38.2%D+23.3R+7.8
195664.3%33.2%D+31.1R+7.5
195269.3%30.6%D+38.6R+2.0
194853.3%12.6%D+40.7—
Political Identity

What defines Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL)?

Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL) has been won by both parties in the last 6 presidential elections (1D, 5R) — a genuine swing geography. It has a plurality-minority electorate (50% nonwhite) where demographic change is reshaping the political map.

Constituent Counties

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Similarity Explorer

Similar media markets

Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
8 visible matches
Constituent Geography

Counties in Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL)

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
CountyPop.MarginDemRepTotalShare
Muscogee204K
D+23.4
49,41330,61680,49131.8%
Lee181K
R+27.6
25,79846,02073,12728.9%
Russell59K
D+1.7
10,42210,07820,7188.2%
Harris36K
R+46.1
5,97616,28322,3538.8%
Chambers34K
R+23.2
5,4058,71114,2455.6%
Sumter29K
D+2.2
6,1365,86912,0494.8%
Barbour25K
R+14.7
4,1585,6069,8553.9%
Chattahoochee9K
R+16.5
7039821,6940.7%
Marion8K
R+30.2
1,2532,3483,6211.4%
Randolph6K
D+7.6
1,6011,3732,9901.2%
Talbot6K
D+12.0
1,8881,4833,3791.3%
Stewart5K
D+16.3
1,1778472,0280.8%
Schley5K
R+62.5
4531,9702,4281.0%
Clay3K
D+7.5
7716631,4420.6%
Webster2K
R+18.4
5447901,3360.5%
Quitman2K
R+15.4
4806561,1400.5%
16 countiesTotal votes: 252,896
Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL)'s political evolution with the Historian
Automated Readout

Key Insights

High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
  • The 2008 election was decided by just 0.3 points — razor-thin
  • Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2012, Republicans in 2024
  • Swung 4.6 points toward Republican between 2020 and 2024
Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL)Census ACS 2024Ancestry detail available
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
Expand rows for ancestry detail
White (Non-Hispanic) 50.1%Black 37.0%Hispanic 6.5%Multiracial 3.6%Asian 2.5%
GroupLocalNational
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
50.1%57.4%
▶Black / African American(11)
37.0%12.2%
▶Hispanic / Latino(17)
6.5%19.3%
Multiracial / Other
3.6%4.0%
▶Asian(6)
2.5%6.0%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
0.3%0.9%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(6)
0.2%0.9%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3)
0.1%0.2%
Method notes

Census treats race and Hispanic/Latino origin as separate questions. Race categories other than Hispanic reflect total populations (small Hispanic overlap in Black, Asian, AIAN, NHPI). “Multiracial / Other” is derived as a non-overlapping remainder.

Click rows to expand ancestry detail. Ancestry from ACS B04006, B03001, B02020, B02016. Totals may differ from race — individuals can report multiple ancestries.

Black / African American (estimated remainder) is derived as Black population share minus reported Sub-Saharan African and West Indian ancestry. It is shown as an estimated ancestry detail, not a standalone Census ancestry category.

MENA estimated from ancestry reporting — Census does not have a separate MENA race category. Not shown in bar (overlaps with other race groups).

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:
49.1%(301.2K people)
U.S. Religion Census 2020
Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: -55.5pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.

Tradition% Pop% AdherentsUS PopUS Adherents
Evangelical Protestant
28.1%57.2%——
Black Protestant
9.1%18.5%——
Mainline Protestant
6.5%13.2%——
Catholic
3.1%6.2%——
Other
2.4%4.8%——
LDS (Mormon)
1.0%2.0%——
Non-religiousPopulation
50.9%———
Click the chevron to expand denominations. Tradition and denomination rows label both share of total population and share of all religious adherents. Non-religious is shown as a share of total population only.

Who lives in the Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL) media market? 612,849 residents across 16 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL) vs National613K residents
Population & electorate

Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.

Total population
Local vs state vs U.S.
613K
local
613KNational 334.9M
Share of U.S. population
Local vs state vs U.S.
0.18%
local
0.18%National 100%
Voting-age population
Local vs state vs U.S.
73.3%
local
73.3%National 75.7%
Economic profile

Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.

Median household income
Local vs state vs U.S.
$59,216
local
$59,216National $83,960
Poverty rate
Local vs state vs U.S.
19.0%
local
19.0%National 12.5%
College degree
Local vs state vs U.S.
30.3%
local
30.3%National 35.6%
Homeownership
Local vs state vs U.S.
61.8%
local
61.8%National 65.2%
Community profile

Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.

Median age
Local vs state vs U.S.
36.7 yrs
local
36.7 yrsNational 39.1 yrs
Age 18–29
Local vs state vs U.S.
18.7%
local
18.7%National 15.7%
Age 65+
Local vs state vs U.S.
15.6%
local
15.6%National 17.0%
Foreign born
Local vs state vs U.S.
4.8%
local
4.8%National 14.1%
Non-English at home
Local vs state vs U.S.
7.3%
local
7.3%National 22.2%
English only
Local vs state vs U.S.
92.7%
local
92.7%National 77.8%
Voter Turnout

Turnout in Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL)

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
2024 Turnout
56.3%
vs Previous
+0.4pp
Voting-Age Pop
449,524
History
1988–2024
Competitiveness

How competitive is Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL)?

Tilt RAvg margin: R+4.9 (last 3 elections)
2008
R+0.3
2012
D+0.7
2016
R+5.0
2020
R+2.5
2024
R+7.2
Elasticity
7.8pp
margin range
Party Flips
3
last 30 years
5-Elec Avg
R+2.9
Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL) split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
ConsistencyHeavy splitting (35/100)
2022 Office Comparisons
OfficesMargin AMargin BSplit
Senate vs GovernorR+7.2R+12.35.0pp
Average divergence across office pairs: 12.2pp
Containing Geography

Located In

Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL) sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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