Columbia, SC
Latest: 2024
Competitive — shifted 5.3pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 849K residents — 6 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 53.3% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(19) | 7.0% |
▶Black / African American(14) | 33.4% |
▶Asian(6) | 2.4% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10) | 0.5% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3) | 0.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 3.6% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Protestant | 27.3% | 51.2% |
| Mainline Protestant | 10.5% | 19.7% |
| Catholic | 6.4% | 12.1% |
| Black Protestant | 5.5% | 10.3% |
| Other | 3.4% | 6.4% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 1.2% | 2.2% |
| Orthodox Christian | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Non-religious | 46.7% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Harris+0.2 |
| 2020 | Biden+5.5 |
| 2016 | Clinton+1.0 |
| 2012 | Obama+1.7 |
| 2008 | Obama+0.9 |
| 2004 | Bush+9.7 |
| 2000 | Bush+10.8 |
| 1996 | Dole+3.7 |
| 1992 | Bush+6.3 |
Columbia, SC is a metro area that has a population of 849,181. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Democratic with a margin of D+0.2. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 49.3% | 49.1% | D+0.2 | R+5.3 |
| 2020 | 52.0% | 46.5% | D+5.5 | D+4.5 |
| 2016 | 48.1% | 47.1% | D+1.0 | R+0.7 |
| 2012 | 50.2% | 48.5% | D+1.7 | D+0.8 |
| 2008 | 49.9% | 49.1% | D+0.9 | D+10.6 |
| 2004 | 44.6% | 54.4% | R+9.7 | D+1.1 |
| 2000 | 43.4% | 54.2% | R+10.8 | R+7.1 |
| 1996 | 45.5% | 49.2% | R+3.7 | D+2.5 |
| 1992 | 41.7% | 47.9% | R+6.3 | D+19.2 |
| 1988 | 36.2% | 61.7% | R+25.5 | D+5.6 |
| 1984 | 33.5% | 64.7% | R+31.1 | R+18.3 |
| 1980 | 41.8% | 54.6% | R+12.8 | R+13.4 |
| 1976 | 50.0% | 49.4% | D+0.6 | D+42.3 |
| 1972 | 28.4% | 70.1% | R+41.7 | R+25.6 |
| 1968 | 29.9% | 46.0% | R+16.1 | D+9.0 |
| 1964 | 37.4% | 62.6% | R+25.1 | R+4.4 |
| 1960 | 39.6% | 60.4% | R+20.8 | R+26.0 |
| 1956 | 31.6% | 26.3% | D+5.2 | R+31.9 |
| 1952 | 40.0% | 2.9% | D+37.1 | D+21.4 |
| 1948 | 20.5% | 4.7% | D+15.8 | — |
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 racially mixed, moderately educated electorate — the suburban swing demographic that decides close elections.
Constituent Counties
Similar metro areas
Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
Jackson, MS
Rural Republican 2
Montgomery, AL
Rural Republican 2
Baton Rouge, LA
Educated rural competitive 2
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Educated rural competitive 2
Birmingham, AL
Educated rural competitive 2
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Educated rural competitive 2
Richmond, VA
Educated rural competitive 2
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
Educated rural competitive 2
Counties in Columbia, SC
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
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Ask the Historian
Explore Columbia, SC's political evolution with the Historian
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 0.2 points — razor-thin
- Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2024, Republicans in 2004
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Columbia, SC | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 53.3% | 57.4% |
▶Black / African American(14) | 33.4% | 12.2% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(19) | 7.0% | 19.3% |
Multiracial / Other | 3.6% | 4.0% |
▶Asian(6) | 2.4% | 6.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10) | 0.5% | 0.9% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3) | 0.2% | 0.9% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
53.3%
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -43.6pp (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27.3% | 51.2% | — | — | |
| 10.5% | 19.7% | — | — | |
| 6.4% | 12.1% | — | — | |
| 5.5% | 10.3% | — | — | |
| 3.4% | 6.4% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 1.2% | 2.2% | — | — |
| 0.1% | 0.3% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 46.7% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Columbia, SC metro area? 849,181 residents across 6 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
849K
Share of U.S. population
0.25%
Voting-age population
74.4%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$68,230
Poverty rate
14.6%
College degree
35.6%
Homeownership
69.4%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
37.5 yrs
Age 18–29
17.7%
Age 65+
16.1%
Foreign born
5.8%
Non-English at home
8.6%
English only
91.4%
Turnout in Columbia, SC
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
61.9%
-1.7pp
631,390
1988–2024
How competitive is Columbia, SC?
Tilt DAvg margin: D+2.2 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+0.9
2012
D+1.7
2016
D+1.0
2020
D+5.5
2024
D+0.2
5.3pp
1
D+1.9
Do voters in Columbia, SC split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Heavy splitting (26/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate vs Governor | R+7.7 | D+1.5 | 9.2pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 13.5pp
Located In
Columbia, SC sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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