How did Appleton, WI vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Appleton, WI voted Republican in 2024 with a margin of R+12.4. Kamala D Harris received 62,365 votes and Donald Trump received 80,315 out of 144,848 total votes cast, a 0.3-point shift toward Republicans from 2020.

What is Appleton, WI's political history?

Appleton, WI has 40 presidential elections on record, spanning 1868 to 2024. Democrats have won 14 and Republicans 26 of those contests. The largest single-election swing was 49.9 points in 1940.

What are the demographics of Appleton, WI?

Appleton, WI has a population of 245,768 according to the 2020 Census. The racial composition is 85.4% non-Hispanic white, 5.4% Hispanic, 1.5% Black. About 33% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $85,870.

Which places are most similar to Appleton, WI?

Based on demographic and electoral similarity analysis, the three most similar metro areas to Appleton, WI are Green Bay, WI, Wausau, WI, Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI. Similarity is computed using a vector embedding of demographic, economic, and electoral characteristics.

Appleton, WI

Latest: 2024→ Even vs 2020

Leans Republican — 246K residents — 2 counties

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Race & ancestry

Group	%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	85.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(17)	5.4%
▶Black / African American(8)	1.5%
▶Asian(6)	3.5%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(4)	0.2%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(4)	1.0%
Multiracial / Other	3.2%

View full demographics →

Religious adherence

Tradition	% Pop	% Adherents
Catholic	30.1%	50.1%
Evangelical Protestant	21.7%	36.0%
Mainline Protestant	6.9%	11.5%
Other	1.5%	2.5%
LDS (Mormon)	0.4%	0.6%
Non-religious	39.8%	—

View full religion →

Presidential results

Year	Result
2024	Trump+12.4
2020	Trump+12.1
2016	Trump+14.5
2012	Romney+3.9
2008	Obama+9.5
2004	Bush+11.4
2000	Bush+9.8
1996	Clinton+1.2
1992	Bush+9.3

View full election history →

Appleton, WI is a metro area that has a population of 245,768. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+12.4. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.

Appleton, WI Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
Year	Dem %	Rep %	Margin	Swing
2024	43.1%	55.4%	R+12.4	R+0.3
2020	43.1%	55.1%	R+12.1	D+2.5
2016	39.6%	54.1%	R+14.5	R+10.6
2012	47.2%	51.2%	R+3.9	R+13.4
2008	53.9%	44.4%	D+9.5	D+20.9
2004	43.8%	55.2%	R+11.4	R+1.6
2000	42.8%	52.6%	R+9.8	R+10.9
1996	44.0%	42.9%	D+1.2	D+10.4
1992	32.2%	41.5%	R+9.3	R+0.1
1988	45.1%	54.2%	R+9.2	D+20.8
1984	34.6%	64.5%	R+29.9	R+12.2
1980	35.7%	53.4%	R+17.7	R+9.1
1976	44.7%	53.2%	R+8.6	D+11.8
1972	38.7%	59.0%	R+20.4	D+4.4
1968	33.9%	58.8%	R+24.8	R+33.7
1964	54.4%	45.5%	D+8.9	D+24.0
1960	42.3%	57.5%	R+15.1	D+37.8
1956	23.2%	76.1%	R+52.9	R+3.9
1952	25.4%	74.5%	R+49.1	R+30.4
1948	40.2%	58.8%	R+18.7	—

Political Identity

What defines Appleton, WI?

Appleton, WI has been won by both parties in the last 6 presidential elections (1D, 5R) — a genuine swing geography.

Constituent Counties

Open in Cartographer

Similarity Explorer

Similar metro areas

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

8 visible matches

Green Bay, WI

Small-town rural republican 2

R+14.0

Similarity score97%

Wausau, WI

Small-town rural republican 2

R+18.6

Similarity score93%

Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI

Small-town rural republican 2

R+16.4

Similarity score93%

Lancaster, PA

Small-town rural republican 2

R+15.9

Similarity score92%

Sheboygan, WI

Small-town rural republican 2

R+16.3

Similarity score91%

Helena, MT

Small-town rural republican 2

R+15.1

Similarity score90%

Rochester, MN

Educated rural competitive 2

R+1.0

Similarity score90%

Eau Claire, WI

Small-town rural republican 2

R+2.1

Similarity score90%

Constituent Geography

Counties in Appleton, WI

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

Sort:

County	Pop.	Margin	Dem	Rep	Total	Share
Outagamie	193K	R+10.2	49,438	60,827	111,932	77.3%
Calumet	53K	R+19.9	12,927	19,488	32,916	22.7%

2 countiesTotal votes: 144,848

Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Appleton, WI's political evolution with the Historian

“How has the Appleton, WI metro area voted in presidential elections?”

Automated Readout

Key Insights

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

Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2008, Republicans in 2024
Highly elastic — margins have ranged 24.0 points across recent elections, suggesting a volatile electorate
Turnout increased by 3.3 percentage points since the previous presidential election

Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

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

Appleton, WICensus 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) 85.4%Hispanic 5.4%Asian 3.5%Multiracial 3.2%Black 1.5%Native American 1.0%

Group	Appleton, WI	National
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	85.4%	57.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(17)	5.4%	19.3%
▶Asian(6)	3.5%	6.0%
Multiracial / Other	3.2%	4.0%
▶Black / African American(8)	1.5%	12.2%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(4)	1.0%	0.9%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(4)	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:

60.2%(148.0K people)

U.S. Religion Census 2020

Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: +9.6pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Catholic-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Democratic-leaning urban and suburban communities.

Tradition	% Pop	% Adherents	US Pop	US Adherents
Catholic	30.1%	50.1%	—	—
Evangelical Protestant	21.7%	36.0%	—	—
Mainline Protestant	6.9%	11.5%	—	—
Other	1.5%	2.5%	—	—
LDS (Mormon)	0.4%	0.6%	—	—
Non-religiousPopulation	39.8%	—	—	—

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 Appleton, WI metro area? 245,768 residents across 2 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

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

Appleton, WI vs National246K residents

Population & electorate

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

Total population

Local vs state vs U.S.

246K

local

246KNational 334.9M

Share of U.S. population

Local vs state vs U.S.

0.07%

local

0.07%National 100%

Voting-age population

Local vs state vs U.S.

75.8%

local

75.8%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.

$85,870

local

$85,870National $83,960

Poverty rate

Local vs state vs U.S.

6.2%

local

6.2%National 12.5%

College degree

Local vs state vs U.S.

32.8%

local

32.8%National 35.6%

Homeownership

Local vs state vs U.S.

73.3%

local

73.3%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.

39.5 yrs

local

39.5 yrsNational 39.1 yrs

Age 18–29

Local vs state vs U.S.

14.3%

local

14.3%National 15.7%

Age 65+

Local vs state vs U.S.

16.7%

local

16.7%National 17.0%

Foreign born

Local vs state vs U.S.

4.2%

local

4.2%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 Appleton, WI

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.

2024 Turnout

77.8%

vs Previous

+3.3pp

Voting-Age Pop

186,280

History

1988–2024

Competitiveness

How competitive is Appleton, WI?

Likely RAvg margin: R+13.0 (last 3 elections)

2008

D+9.5

2012

R+3.9

2016

R+14.5

2020

R+12.1

2024

R+12.4

Elasticity

24.0pp

margin range

Party Flips

last 30 years

5-Elec Avg

R+6.7

Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Appleton, WI split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.

ConsistencyModerate splitting (60/100)

2024 Office Comparisons

Offices	Margin A	Margin B	Split
President vs Senate	R+12.4	R+11.2	1.2pp

Average divergence across office pairs: 8.5pp

Containing Geography

Located In

Appleton, WI sits inside these higher-level geographies.

Wisconsin(State)

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