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Topeka

Topeka

Latest: 2024↓ R+2.6 vs 2020

Safe Republican — 464K residents — 17 counties

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Race & ancestry
Group%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
75.6%
▶Hispanic / Latino(18)
11.2%
▶Black / African American(11)
5.2%
▶Asian(6)
1.7%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(7)
0.2%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(6)
0.9%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3)
0.2%
Multiracial / Other
5.2%
View full demographics →
Religious adherence
Tradition% Pop% Adherents
Evangelical Protestant16.3%37.5%
Catholic12.6%28.9%
Mainline Protestant10.5%24.0%
Other2.4%5.5%
Black Protestant1.7%3.9%
LDS (Mormon)1.5%3.3%
Non-religious56.5%—
View full religion →
Presidential results
YearResult
2024Trump+19.5
2020Trump+16.9
2016Trump+20.9
2012Romney+17.8
2008McCain+14.4
2004Bush+23.3
2000Bush+16.2
1996Dole+13.9
1992Bush+2.7
View full election history →

Topeka is a media market that has a population of 464,242. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+19.5. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.

Topeka Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
YearDem %Rep %MarginSwing
202439.0%58.5%R+19.5R+2.6
202040.1%57.0%R+16.9D+4.0
201635.2%56.1%R+20.9R+3.1
201239.8%57.7%R+17.8R+3.4
200841.7%56.1%R+14.4D+8.9
200437.6%60.9%R+23.3R+7.2
200039.3%55.4%R+16.2R+2.3
199637.1%51.0%R+13.9R+11.2
199234.3%37.0%R+2.7D+8.4
198843.8%54.9%R+11.1D+22.1
198432.9%66.0%R+33.1R+6.6
198032.2%58.7%R+26.6R+13.5
197642.2%55.2%R+13.0D+27.6
197228.6%69.2%R+40.6R+16.0
196832.5%57.1%R+24.6R+26.7
196450.7%48.6%D+2.1D+30.1
196035.8%63.8%R+28.0D+12.4
195629.6%70.0%R+40.4D+4.9
195227.1%72.4%R+45.3R+27.7
194840.4%58.0%R+17.6—
Political Identity

What defines Topeka?

It has a moderately diverse, middle-class electorate where education levels and suburban growth shape the partisan balance.

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
Constituent Geography

Counties in Topeka

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
CountyPop.MarginDemRepTotalShare
Shawnee178K
D+0.5
40,30839,90182,35040.4%
Riley72K
D+1.8
12,06311,63024,51312.0%
Geary36K
R+17.6
3,6745,2889,1874.5%
Lyon32K
R+14.6
5,5157,46213,3146.5%
Pottawatomie26K
R+47.6
3,3949,81113,4906.6%
Jefferson18K
R+36.7
3,0306,6949,9754.9%
Osage16K
R+47.9
1,9465,7367,9183.9%
Jackson13K
R+42.4
1,7994,5576,4993.2%
Nemaha10K
R+66.8
8884,6555,6372.8%
Marshall10K
R+49.1
1,2053,6444,9682.4%
Brown9K
R+47.8
1,0653,1064,2742.1%
Cloud9K
R+60.4
7673,2184,0612.0%
Coffey8K
R+55.4
9343,3714,3962.2%
Clay8K
R+55.5
8673,1504,1132.0%
Wabaunsee7K
R+48.5
9442,8163,8601.9%
Washington6K
R+69.2
3962,2632,7001.3%
Morris5K
R+46.5
7212,0212,7941.4%
17 countiesTotal votes: 204,049
Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Topeka's political evolution with the Historian
Automated Readout

Key Insights

High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
  • Has voted Republican in the last 5 presidential elections
Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
TopekaCensus 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) 75.6%Hispanic 11.2%Multiracial 5.2%Black 5.2%Asian 1.7%Native American 0.9%
GroupTopekaNational
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
75.6%57.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(18)
11.2%19.3%
Multiracial / Other
5.2%4.0%
▶Black / African American(11)
5.2%12.2%
▶Asian(6)
1.7%6.0%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(6)
0.9%0.9%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3)
0.2%0.2%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(7)
0.2%0.9%
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:
43.5%(201.8K people)
U.S. Religion Census 2020
Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: -13.1pp (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
16.3%37.5%——
Catholic
12.6%28.9%——
Mainline Protestant
10.5%24.0%——
Other
2.4%5.5%——
Black Protestant
1.7%3.9%——
LDS (Mormon)
1.5%3.3%——
Non-religiousPopulation
56.5%———
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 Topeka media market? 464,242 residents across 17 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Topeka vs National464K residents
Population & electorate

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

Total population
Local vs state vs U.S.
464K
local
464KNational 334.9M
Share of U.S. population
Local vs state vs U.S.
0.14%
local
0.14%National 100%
Voting-age population
Local vs state vs U.S.
72.6%
local
72.6%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.
$67,430
local
$67,430National $83,960
Poverty rate
Local vs state vs U.S.
13.2%
local
13.2%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.
65.5%
local
65.5%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.
36.6 yrs
local
36.6 yrsNational 39.1 yrs
Age 18–29
Local vs state vs U.S.
19.6%
local
19.6%National 15.7%
Age 65+
Local vs state vs U.S.
17.3%
local
17.3%National 17.0%
Foreign born
Local vs state vs U.S.
4.5%
local
4.5%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 Topeka

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
2024 Turnout
60.5%
vs Previous
-0.9pp
Voting-Age Pop
337,126
History
1988–2024
Competitiveness

How competitive is Topeka?

Safe RAvg margin: R+19.1 (last 3 elections)
2008
R+14.4
2012
R+17.8
2016
R+20.9
2020
R+16.9
2024
R+19.5
Elasticity
6.5pp
margin range
Party Flips
0
last 30 years
5-Elec Avg
R+17.9
Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Topeka split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
ConsistencyHeavy splitting (0/100)
2022 Office Comparisons
OfficesMargin AMargin BSplit
Senate vs GovernorR+30.2D+4.134.4pp
Average divergence across office pairs: 32.9pp
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