Forest City, NC
Latest: 2024
Safe Republican — 65K residents — 1 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 80.8% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(17) | 5.7% |
▶Black / African American(4) | 7.7% |
▶Asian(5) | 0.5% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2) | 0.2% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(1) | 0.1% |
Multiracial / Other | 5.1% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Protestant | 52.4% | 75.7% |
| Mainline Protestant | 7.7% | 11.2% |
| Black Protestant | 3.8% | 5.5% |
| Catholic | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Other | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Non-religious | 30.7% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Trump+47.7 |
| 2020 | Trump+45.8 |
| 2016 | Trump+47.4 |
| 2012 | Romney+33.4 |
| 2008 | McCain+31.8 |
| 2004 | Bush+33.1 |
| 2000 | Bush+27.9 |
| 1996 | Dole+14.2 |
| 1992 | Bush+9.3 |
Forest City, NC is a metro area that has a population of 64,930. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+47.7. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 25.7% | 73.4% | R+47.7 | R+1.9 |
| 2020 | 26.5% | 72.3% | R+45.8 | D+1.6 |
| 2016 | 24.8% | 72.2% | R+47.4 | R+14.0 |
| 2012 | 32.7% | 66.0% | R+33.4 | R+1.6 |
| 2008 | 33.6% | 65.4% | R+31.8 | D+1.3 |
| 2004 | 33.2% | 66.3% | R+33.1 | R+5.2 |
| 2000 | 35.4% | 63.3% | R+27.9 | R+13.7 |
| 1996 | 38.6% | 52.7% | R+14.2 | R+4.9 |
| 1992 | 38.6% | 48.0% | R+9.3 | D+10.4 |
| 1988 | 40.0% | 59.7% | R+19.7 | D+5.0 |
| 1984 | 37.6% | 62.2% | R+24.7 | R+24.4 |
| 1980 | 49.0% | 49.3% | R+0.3 | R+21.6 |
| 1976 | 60.5% | 39.2% | D+21.3 | D+60.1 |
| 1972 | 30.0% | 68.8% | R+38.8 | R+20.1 |
| 1968 | 27.4% | 46.1% | R+18.7 | R+33.3 |
| 1964 | 57.3% | 42.7% | D+14.6 | D+17.1 |
| 1960 | 48.7% | 51.3% | R+2.5 | D+3.9 |
| 1956 | 46.8% | 53.2% | R+6.4 | R+2.5 |
| 1952 | 48.0% | 52.0% | R+3.9 | R+18.0 |
| 1948 | 51.0% | 37.0% | D+14.0 | — |
What defines Forest City, NC?
It has a working-class electorate (21% college-educated) — a demographic increasingly aligned with Republicans nationwide.
Constituent Counties
Similar metro areas
Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
Marion, NC
Small-town rural republican 3
North Wilkesboro, NC
Small-town rural republican 3
Mount Airy, NC
Small-town rural republican 3
Paris, TN
Small-town rural republican 3
Mountain Home, AR
Small-town rural republican
Oil City, PA
Small-town rural republican
DuBois, PA
Small-town rural republican 3
Seneca, SC
Small-town rural republican
Counties in Forest City, NC
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford | 65K | R+47.7 | 8,914 | 25,456 | 34,670 | 100.0% |
1 countiesTotal votes: 34,670
Ask the Historian
Explore Forest City, NC's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Has voted Republican in the last 5 presidential elections
- Latest election (2024) was a Republican landslide with a 47.7% margin
- College attainment is 21% — 12pp below the national average. Similar education levels correlate with Republican lean nationally
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 | Forest City, NC | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 80.8% | 57.4% |
▶Black / African American(4) | 7.7% | 12.2% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(17) | 5.7% | 19.3% |
Multiracial / Other | 5.1% | 4.0% |
▶Asian(5) | 0.5% | 6.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2) | 0.2% | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(1) | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
69.3%
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -74.8pp (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52.4% | 75.7% | — | — | |
| 7.7% | 11.2% | — | — | |
| 3.8% | 5.5% | — | — | |
| 3.7% | 5.4% | — | — | |
| 1.5% | 2.2% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.8% | 1.1% | — | — |
Non-religiousPopulation | 30.7% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Forest City, NC metro area? 64,930 residents across 1 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 12pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+15 on average nationally.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
65K
Share of U.S. population
0.02%
Voting-age population
78.0%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$51,410
Poverty rate
16.8%
College degree
21.5%
Homeownership
73.9%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
45.3 yrs
Age 18–29
12.8%
Age 65+
22.3%
Foreign born
3.1%
Non-English at home
4.6%
English only
95.4%
Turnout in Forest City, NC
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
68.5%
+0.5pp
50,638
1988–2024
How competitive is Forest City, NC?
Safe RAvg margin: R+47.0 (last 3 elections)
2008
R+31.8
2012
R+33.4
2016
R+47.4
2020
R+45.8
2024
R+47.7
15.9pp
0
R+41.2
Do voters in Forest City, NC split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Heavy splitting (15/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Governor | R+47.7 | R+29.1 | 18.6pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 15.0pp
Located In
Forest City, NC sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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