South Carolina — Elections 1876–2024

South Carolina: state. In 2024, voted R+18%. Democratic peak: D+99 in 1936.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+18MIT Election Lab
Political typology: Akashic typology
Population: 5,296,2252024 5-year
Median household income: $69,3242024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 63.3%2024 5-year
Black: 24.8%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 7.4%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+99 in 1936MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+43 in 1972MIT Election Lab

2024 presidential election

South Carolina

TrumpR+18

—

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Donald Trump ✓Republican	58.2%	1,483,747
Kamala HarrisDemocratic	40.4%	1,028,452
OtherAll other candidates	1.4%	35,941

D+60

R+60

46 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1876–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1876	No data
1880	No data
1884	No data
1888	No data
1892	+58.6%
1896	+71.8%
1900	+86.0%
1904	+90.8%
1908	+87.8%
1912	+95.9%
1916	+94.3%
1920	+92.1%
1924	+94.3%
1928	+82.9%
1932	+98.0%
1936	+98.6%
1940	+91.3%
1944	+83.2%
1948	+20.4%
1952	+1.4%
1956	+20.2%
1960	+2.5%
1964	−17.8%
1968	−8.5%
1972	−42.7%
1976	+13.1%
1980	−1.5%
1984	−28.0%
1988	−23.9%
1992	−8.1%
1996	−6.0%
2000	−15.9%
2004	−17.1%
2008	−9.0%
2012	−10.5%
2016	−14.3%
2020	−11.7%
2024	−17.9%

DemocraticRepublican

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−17.9%	1,028,452	1,483,747	2,548,140
2020	R	−11.7%	1,091,541	1,385,103	2,513,329
2016	R	−14.3%	855,373	1,155,389	2,103,027
2012	R	−10.5%	865,941	1,071,645	1,964,118
2008	R	−9.0%	862,449	1,034,896	1,920,969
2004	R	−17.1%	661,699	937,974	1,617,730
2000	R	−15.9%	566,039	786,426	1,383,777
1996	R	−6.0%	504,051	573,458	1,149,457
1992	R	−8.1%	479,514	577,507	1,202,527
1988	R	−23.9%	370,554	606,443	986,009
1984	R	−28.0%	344,470	615,539	968,540
1980	R	−1.5%	427,559	441,206	890,105
1976	D	+13.1%	450,825	346,140	801,913
1972	R	−42.7%	189,270	478,427	677,863
1968	R	−8.5%	197,486	254,062	666,982
1964	R	−17.8%	215,699	309,048	524,755
1960	D	+2.5%	198,129	188,558	386,688
1956	D	+20.2%	136,372	75,700	300,583
1952	D	+1.4%	173,004	168,082	341,086
1948	O	+20.4%	34,423	5,386	142,571
1944	D	+83.2%	90,601	4,617	103,382
1940	D	+91.3%	95,470	4,360	99,832
1936	D	+98.6%	113,791	0	115,437
1932	D	+98.0%	102,347	0	104,407
1928	D	+82.9%	62,700	5,858	68,605
1924	D	+94.3%	49,008	1,123	50,755
1920	D	+92.1%	64,170	2,610	66,808
1916	D	+94.3%	61,846	1,550	63,952
1912	D	+95.9%	48,357	0	50,405
1908	D	+87.8%	62,290	3,963	66,405
1904	D	+90.8%	53,304	2,570	55,874
1900	D	+86.0%	47,233	3,559	50,792
1896	D	+71.8%	58,799	9,313	68,940
1892	D	+58.6%	54,698	13,384	70,489
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Congressional elections · 16 Senate races

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year	Won	D %	R %	Total
2022	R	37.0%	62.9%	1,695,702
2020	R	44.2%	54.4%	2,515,104
2016	R	34.4%	60.6%	2,049,893
2014	R	36.8%	54.3%	1,240,075
2010	R	27.6%	61.5%	1,318,794
2008	R	42.2%	57.5%	1,871,431
2004	R	44.1%	53.7%	1,597,221
2002	R	44.2%	54.4%	1,102,912
1998	D	52.7%	45.7%	1,069,063
1996	R	44.0%	53.4%	1,161,231
1992	D	50.1%	46.9%	1,180,438
1990	R	32.5%	64.2%	750,716
1986	D	63.1%	35.6%	737,962
1984	R	31.8%	66.8%	965,130
1980	D	70.4%	29.6%	870,500
1978	R	44.3%	55.7%	632,063

Demographics

2024 ACS

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

English

12.1%

German

9.4%

Irish

9.1%

American

8.2%

Italian

3.4%

Scottish

2.1%

Polish

1.0%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

2024 ACS

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 40.5 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.7%

85+

1.1%

2.5%

75–84

3.1%

5.3%

65–74

6.2%

6.3%

55–64

6.9%

5.8%

45–54

6.2%

6.1%

35–44

6.4%

6.3%

25–34

6.5%

4.7%

18–24

4.4%

8.1%

5–17

7.8%

2.8%

2.7%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Median household income

Inflation-adjusted dollars

$69,324

South Carolina ranks near the middle of US counties.

South Carolina$69,324

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

14.1%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1819.6%

Working age (18–64)12.7%

Seniors (65+)11.6%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

91.6%

speak English only

Spanish5.2%

Other Indo-European1.7%

Asian & Pacific Islander1.0%

Other languages0.4%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

2020 religion census

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Baptist

18.7%

Other Christian

11.8%

Catholic & Orthodox

8.2%

Methodist

7.4%

Mainline Protestant

3.3%

Pentecostal & Holiness

2.5%

Non-Christian

0.9%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 47.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

South Carolina sits in the Deep South. In 2024 it voted Republican.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of ninety-nine points in 1936 and a Republican high of forty-three points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the state moved six points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was eighteen points.

A population of 5,296,225, a 63% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $69,324 describe the state.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/state/SC/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did South Carolina vote in 2024?

In 2024, South Carolina voted Republican by 17.9 points (R+18), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 2,548,140 votes cast, 1,028,452 went Democratic and 1,483,747 went Republican.

What is South Carolina's political typology?

Akashic places South Carolina in the "" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the state has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 15 times, and other 1 times.

When did South Carolina last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which South Carolina voted Democratic was 1976.

How many people live in South Carolina?

South Carolina has a population of 5,296,225 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in South Carolina?

Median household income in South Carolina is $69,324 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.

What is the political history of South Carolina?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The state's typology — "" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.

Spartanburg County, SC	R +10,568
Horry County, SC	R +10,549
Anderson County, SC	R +6,534

South Carolina has voted Republican in twelve straight presidential elections — R+18 in 2024.

Key facts

U.S. Senate

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions