How did Watertown, SD vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Watertown, SD voted Republican in 2024 with a margin of R+40.8. Kamala D Harris received 3,840 votes and Donald Trump received 9,349 out of 13,510 total votes cast, a 1.9-point shift toward Republicans from 2020.

What is Watertown, SD's political history?

Watertown, SD has 34 presidential elections on record, spanning 1892 to 2024. It has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1980. The largest single-election swing was 75.8 points in 1912.

What are the demographics of Watertown, SD?

Watertown, SD has a population of 28,767 according to the 2020 Census. The racial composition is 90.4% non-Hispanic white, 3.3% Hispanic, 1.1% Black. About 21% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $72,727.

Which places are most similar to Watertown, SD?

Based on demographic and electoral similarity analysis, the three most similar metro areas to Watertown, SD are Ottawa, KS, Greensburg, IN, Wilmington, OH. Similarity is computed using a vector embedding of demographic, economic, and electoral characteristics.

Watertown, SD

Latest: 2024↓ R+1.9 vs 2020

Safe Republican — 29K residents — 1 counties

Ask Historian Open in Explore CompareShare image

Race & ancestry

Group	%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(12)	90.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(6)	3.3%
▶Black / African American(2)	1.1%
▶Asian(4)	0.6%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(2)	0.1%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)	1.9%
Multiracial / Other	2.8%

View full demographics →

Religious adherence

Tradition	% Pop	% Adherents
Mainline Protestant	24.1%	37.5%
Catholic	20.8%	32.3%
Evangelical Protestant	17.7%	27.6%
Other	1.7%	2.6%
LDS (Mormon)	1.3%	2.0%
Non-religious	35.6%	—

View full religion →

Presidential results

Year	Result
2024	Trump+40.8
2020	Trump+38.9
2016	Trump+39.3
2012	Romney+18.3
2008	McCain+6.4
2004	Bush+23.3
2000	Bush+22.7
1996	Dole+2.5
1992	Bush+2.2

View full election history →

Watertown, SD is a metro area that has a population of 28,767. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+40.8. Akashic Edge tracks 34 presidential elections here, dating back to 1892.

Watertown, SD Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
Year	Dem %	Rep %	Margin	Swing
2024	28.4%	69.2%	R+40.8	R+1.9
2020	29.2%	68.1%	R+38.9	D+0.4
2016	27.2%	66.5%	R+39.3	R+21.0
2012	39.8%	58.1%	R+18.3	R+11.9
2008	45.9%	52.3%	R+6.4	D+16.9
2004	37.7%	61.0%	R+23.3	R+0.7
2000	37.6%	60.3%	R+22.7	R+20.2
1996	42.7%	45.2%	R+2.5	R+0.3
1992	33.8%	36.0%	R+2.2	D+2.7
1988	47.0%	52.0%	R+4.9	D+21.7
1984	36.5%	63.1%	R+26.7	R+1.1
1980	33.6%	59.1%	R+25.5	R+27.4
1976	50.8%	48.9%	D+1.9	D+5.4
1972	48.1%	51.6%	R+3.5	R+7.1
1968	50.1%	46.5%	D+3.6	R+16.1
1964	59.8%	40.2%	D+19.7	D+30.1
1960	44.8%	55.2%	R+10.5	D+5.0
1956	42.3%	57.7%	R+15.4	D+16.4
1952	34.1%	65.9%	R+31.8	R+41.1
1948	54.3%	45.0%	D+9.3	—

Political Identity

What defines Watertown, SD?

It has a working-class electorate (21% college-educated) — a demographic increasingly aligned with Republicans nationwide.

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

Ottawa, KS

Small-town rural republican 3

R+40.0

Similarity score98%

Greensburg, IN

Small-town rural republican 3

R+58.5

Similarity score96%

Wilmington, OH

Small-town rural republican 3

R+54.6

Similarity score95%

Huntington, IN

Small-town rural republican 3

R+48.4

Similarity score95%

Taylorville, IL

Small-town rural republican 3

R+46.6

Similarity score94%

Batavia, NY

Small-town rural republican 2

R+33.9

Similarity score93%

Selinsgrove, PA

Small-town rural republican 3

R+47.0

Similarity score93%

Angola, IN

Small-town rural republican 3

R+42.1

Similarity score93%

Constituent Geography

Counties in Watertown, SD

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

Sort:

County	Pop.	Margin	Dem	Rep	Total	Share
Codington	29K	R+40.8	3,840	9,349	13,510	100.0%

1 countiesTotal votes: 13,510

Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Watertown, SD's political evolution with the Historian

“How has the Watertown, SD metro area voted in presidential elections?”

Automated Readout

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 40.8% margin
Highly elastic — margins have ranged 34.4 points across recent elections, suggesting a volatile electorate

Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

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

Watertown, SDCensus 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) 90.4%Hispanic 3.3%Multiracial 2.8%Native American 1.9%Black 1.1%Asian 0.6%

Group	Watertown, SD	National
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(12)	90.4%	57.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(6)	3.3%	19.3%
Multiracial / Other	2.8%	4.0%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)	1.9%	0.9%
▶Black / African American(2)	1.1%	12.2%
▶Asian(4)	0.6%	6.0%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(2)	0.1%	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:

64.4%(18.5K people)

U.S. Religion Census 2020

Browse all religions

Tradition	% Pop	% Adherents	US Pop	US Adherents
Mainline Protestant	24.1%	37.5%	—	—
Catholic	20.8%	32.3%	—	—
Evangelical Protestant	17.7%	27.6%	—	—
Other	1.7%	2.6%	—	—
LDS (Mormon)	1.3%	2.0%	—	—
Non-religiousPopulation	35.6%	—	—	—

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 Watertown, SD metro area? 28,767 residents across 1 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

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

Watertown, SD vs National29K residents

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

Local vs state vs U.S.

29K

local

29KNational 334.9M

Share of U.S. population

Local vs state vs U.S.

0.01%

local

0.01%National 100%

Voting-age population

Local vs state vs U.S.

75.1%

local

75.1%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.

$72,727

local

$72,727National $83,960

Poverty rate

Local vs state vs U.S.

8.8%

local

8.8%National 12.5%

College degree

Local vs state vs U.S.

21.4%

local

21.4%National 35.6%

Homeownership

Local vs state vs U.S.

69.8%

local

69.8%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.

40.4 yrs

local

40.4 yrsNational 39.1 yrs

Age 18–29

Local vs state vs U.S.

14.9%

local

14.9%National 15.7%

Age 65+

Local vs state vs U.S.

19.6%

local

19.6%National 17.0%

Foreign born

Local vs state vs U.S.

1.3%

local

1.3%National 14.1%

Non-English at home

Local vs state vs U.S.

3.0%

local

3.0%National 22.2%

English only

Local vs state vs U.S.

97.0%

local

97.0%National 77.8%

Voter Turnout

Turnout in Watertown, SD

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.

2024 Turnout

62.5%

vs Previous

+1.6pp

Voting-Age Pop

21,607

History

1988–2024

Competitiveness

How competitive is Watertown, SD?

Safe RAvg margin: R+39.7 (last 3 elections)

2008

R+6.4

2012

R+18.3

2016

R+39.3

2020

R+38.9

2024

R+40.8

Elasticity

34.4pp

margin range

Party Flips

last 30 years

5-Elec Avg

R+28.7

Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Watertown, SD split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.

ConsistencyHeavy splitting (0/100)

2022 Office Comparisons

Offices	Margin A	Margin B	Split
Senate vs Governor	R+54.7	R+38.5	16.1pp

Average divergence across office pairs: 25.9pp

Containing Geography

Located In

Watertown, SD sits inside these higher-level geographies.

South Dakota(State)

Upgrade Path

Unlock Metro Area Analytics

Advance from the public dossier into precinct-level, insight-rich district intelligence.

Target plan Pro$33/mo

Precinct data, Smart Insights, full history, and export controls tailored to place pages.

Precinct-Level Data

See results for every neighborhood and voting precinct

Smart Insights

Automated highlights from recent election patterns

Full Historical Access

165 years of election data at every level of geography

CSV Exports

Download any table or chart as a CSV file

Upgrade to Pro$33/mo