How did Columbia, SC vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Columbia, SC voted Democratic in 2024 with a margin of D+1.0. Kamala D Harris received 256,488 votes and Donald Trump received 251,166 out of 515,655 total votes cast, a 6.4-point shift toward Republicans from 2020.

What is Columbia, SC's political history?

Columbia, SC has 40 presidential elections on record, spanning 1868 to 2024. It has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 2008. The largest single-election swing was 75.0 points in 1948.

What are the demographics of Columbia, SC?

Columbia, SC has a population of 1,122,746 according to the 2020 Census. The racial composition is 50.7% non-Hispanic white, 6.4% Hispanic, 37.2% Black. About 32% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $64,515.

Which places are most similar to Columbia, SC?

Based on demographic and electoral similarity analysis, the three most similar media markets to Columbia, SC are Jackson, MS, Montgomery-Selma, Augusta-Aiken. Similarity is computed using a vector embedding of demographic, economic, and electoral characteristics.

Columbia, SC

Latest: 2024↓ R+6.4 vs 2020

Competitive — shifted 6.4pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 1.1M residents — 11 counties

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Race & ancestry

Group	%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	50.7%
▶Hispanic / Latino(19)	6.4%
▶Black / African American(14)	37.2%
▶Asian(6)	2.0%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10)	0.4%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3)	0.3%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3)	0.1%
Multiracial / Other	3.4%

View full demographics →

Religious adherence

Tradition	% Pop	% Adherents
Evangelical Protestant	27.4%	50.7%
Mainline Protestant	10.7%	19.7%
Black Protestant	6.9%	12.7%
Catholic	5.6%	10.4%
Other	3.4%	6.3%
LDS (Mormon)	1.0%	1.9%
Orthodox Christian	0.1%	0.2%
Non-religious	45.9%	—

View full religion →

Presidential results

Year	Result
2024	Harris+1.0
2020	Biden+7.4
2016	Clinton+4.7
2012	Obama+7.7
2008	Obama+5.9
2004	Bush+3.7
2000	Bush+6.4
1996	Clinton+1.4
1992	Bush+1.5

View full election history →

Columbia, SC is a media market that has a population of 1,122,746. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Democratic with a margin of D+1.0. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.

Columbia, SC Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
Year	Dem %	Rep %	Margin	Swing
2024	49.7%	48.7%	D+1.0	R+6.4
2020	53.0%	45.6%	D+7.4	D+2.7
2016	50.2%	45.5%	D+4.7	R+3.0
2012	53.2%	45.5%	D+7.7	D+1.8
2008	52.5%	46.6%	D+5.9	D+9.6
2004	47.7%	51.4%	R+3.7	D+2.7
2000	45.7%	52.1%	R+6.4	R+7.8
1996	48.1%	46.7%	D+1.4	D+2.9
1992	44.4%	45.8%	R+1.5	D+17.5
1988	39.7%	58.7%	R+19.0	D+3.8
1984	37.9%	60.7%	R+22.7	R+17.4
1980	46.0%	51.3%	R+5.4	R+10.8
1976	52.4%	47.0%	D+5.4	D+42.4
1972	30.8%	67.8%	R+37.0	R+29.9
1968	32.9%	40.0%	R+7.1	D+20.9
1964	36.0%	64.0%	R+28.0	R+10.3
1960	41.1%	58.9%	R+17.7	R+26.4
1956	32.2%	23.5%	D+8.7	R+27.4
1952	38.9%	2.8%	D+36.0	D+23.1
1948	17.0%	4.1%	D+13.0	—

Political Identity

What defines Columbia, SC?

Columbia, SC has been won by both parties in the last 6 presidential elections (5D, 1R) — a genuine swing geography. It has a plurality-minority electorate (49% nonwhite) where demographic change is reshaping the political map.

Constituent Counties

Open in Cartographer

Similarity Explorer

Similar media markets

Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.

8 visible matches

Columbus, GA (Opelika, AL)

Tallahassee-Thomasville

Constituent Geography

Counties in Columbia, SC

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.

Sort:

County	Pop.	Margin	Dem	Rep	Total	Share
Richland	422K	D+34.6	121,110	58,019	182,411	35.4%
Lexington	305K	R+33.5	47,815	96,965	146,903	28.5%
Sumter	105K	D+4.9	23,425	21,215	45,170	8.8%
Orangeburg	83K	D+24.6	22,832	13,750	36,970	7.2%
Kershaw	68K	R+28.2	11,826	21,289	33,533	6.5%
Newberry	38K	R+34.3	5,841	12,067	18,129	3.5%
Clarendon	31K	R+12.3	7,064	9,065	16,320	3.2%
Fairfield	21K	D+13.2	6,277	4,792	11,215	2.2%
Saluda	19K	R+44.4	2,454	6,452	9,014	1.7%
Lee	16K	D+17.7	4,505	3,078	8,076	1.6%
Calhoun	14K	R+14.3	3,339	4,474	7,914	1.5%

11 countiesTotal votes: 515,655

Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Columbia, SC's political evolution with the Historian

“How has the Columbia, SC media market voted in presidential elections?”

Automated Readout

Key Insights

High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.

Has voted Democratic in the last 5 presidential elections
The 2024 election was decided by just 1.0 points — razor-thin
Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2024, Republicans in 2004

Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.

Columbia, SCCensus 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) 50.7%Black 37.2%Hispanic 6.4%Multiracial 3.4%Asian 2.0%

Group	Columbia, SC	National
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	50.7%	57.4%
▶Black / African American(14)	37.2%	12.2%
▶Hispanic / Latino(19)	6.4%	19.3%
Multiracial / Other	3.4%	4.0%
▶Asian(6)	2.0%	6.0%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10)	0.4%	0.9%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3)	0.3%	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:

54.1%(607.6K people)

U.S. Religion Census 2020

Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: -44.8pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.

Tradition	% Pop	% Adherents	US Pop	US Adherents
Evangelical Protestant	27.4%	50.7%	—	—
Mainline Protestant	10.7%	19.7%	—	—
Black Protestant	6.9%	12.7%	—	—
Catholic	5.6%	10.4%	—	—
Other	3.4%	6.3%	—	—
LDS (Mormon)	1.0%	1.9%	—	—
Orthodox Christian	0.1%	0.2%	—	—
Non-religiousPopulation	45.9%	—	—	—

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 Columbia, SC media market? 1,122,746 residents across 11 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.

Columbia, SC vs National1.1M residents

Population & electorate

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

Total population

Local vs state vs U.S.

1.1M

local

1.1MNational 334.9M

Share of U.S. population

Local vs state vs U.S.

0.34%

local

0.34%National 100%

Voting-age population

Local vs state vs U.S.

74.4%

local

74.4%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.

$64,515

local

$64,515National $83,960

Poverty rate

Local vs state vs U.S.

15.6%

local

15.6%National 12.5%

College degree

Local vs state vs U.S.

32.0%

local

32.0%National 35.6%

Homeownership

Local vs state vs U.S.

69.3%

local

69.3%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.

38.3 yrs

local

38.3 yrsNational 39.1 yrs

Age 18–29

Local vs state vs U.S.

17.3%

local

17.3%National 15.7%

Age 65+

Local vs state vs U.S.

17.1%

local

17.1%National 17.0%

Foreign born

Local vs state vs U.S.

5.1%

local

5.1%National 14.1%

Non-English at home

Local vs state vs U.S.

7.8%

local

7.8%National 22.2%

English only

Local vs state vs U.S.

92.2%

local

92.2%National 77.8%

Voter Turnout

Turnout in Columbia, SC

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.

2024 Turnout

61.8%

vs Previous

-2.4pp

Voting-Age Pop

834,980

History

1988–2024

Competitiveness

How competitive is Columbia, SC?

Tilt DAvg margin: D+4.4 (last 3 elections)

2008

D+5.9

2012

D+7.7

2016

D+4.7

2020

D+7.4

2024

D+1.0

Elasticity

6.7pp

margin range

Party Flips

last 30 years

5-Elec Avg

D+5.4

Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Columbia, SC split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.

ConsistencyHeavy splitting (40/100)

2022 Office Comparisons

Offices	Margin A	Margin B	Split
Senate vs Governor	R+5.8	D+2.3	8.1pp

Average divergence across office pairs: 11.5pp

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