Akashic
1892–2024
Akashic
Columbia, SC
presidential margin
2008D+0.92012D+1.72016D+1.02020D+5.52024D+0.2
full record · 1892 → 2024
D+0.2
2024
median income$68,275U.S. $80,734 · SC $69,324
median age37.5U.S. 39.1 · SC 40.5
poverty rate14.6%U.S. 12.5% · SC 14.1%
bachelor’s+ (25+)35.6%U.S. 35.6% · SC 32.1%
non-english8.6%U.S. 22.3% · SC 8.4%
race · ethnicity · ancestry
English10.1%
German9.6%
Irish7.5%
African American†30.8%
African1.4%
Jamaican0.4%
Mexican3.0%
Puerto Rican1.2%
Honduran0.5%
Asian Indian0.9%
Chinese0.4%
Filipino0.3%
religion
other traditions
Mainline10.7%
Black Protestant7.6%
Latter-day Saints1.2%
Other Christian1.0%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents, unaffiliated is the unclaimed remainder.

Columbia, SC, South Carolina

Akashic
Columbia, SCHarrisD+0.2
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Columbia, SC, SCA map of the constituent counties of Columbia, SC, SC, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), seated within the faint outlines of the surrounding states.Calhoun County, SC · R+14.3Fairfield County, SC · D+13.2Kershaw County, SC · R+28.2Lexington County, SC · R+33.5Richland County, SC · D+34.6Saluda County, SC · R+44.4
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Kamala Harris ✓Democratic49.3%192,821
Donald TrumpRepublican49.1%191,991
Chase OliverLibertarian1.6%6,178
D+60
R+60
6 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
County-level results (6 counties) — table
2024 presidential result by county for Columbia, SC, SC — winner and D-vs-R margin.
CountyWinnerMargin
Calhoun County, SCRepublicanR+14.3
Fairfield County, SCDemocraticD+13.2
Kershaw County, SCRepublicanR+28.2
Lexington County, SCRepublicanR+33.5
Richland County, SCDemocraticD+34.6
Saluda County, SCRepublicanR+44.4
34 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
D
49.3%Harris192,821
49.1%Trump191,991
1.6%Oliver6,178
+0.2%
390,990
D
52.0%Biden208,820
46.5%Trump186,741
1.5%Jorgensen6,159
+5.5%
401,720
D
48.1%Clinton166,891
47.1%Trump163,377
4.9%Johnson16,922
+1.0%
347,190
D
50.2%Obama164,546
48.5%Romney158,932
1.4%Johnson4,538
+1.7%
328,016
D
49.9%Obama165,069
49.1%McCain162,165
1.0%Barr3,260
+0.9%
330,494
R
44.6%Kerry122,349
54.4%Bush149,020
1.0%Nader2,711
−9.7%
274,080
R
43.4%Gore104,445
54.2%Bush130,495
2.5%Nader5,961
−10.8%
240,901
R
45.5%Clinton87,814
49.2%Dole95,022
5.3%Perot10,242
−3.7%
193,078
R
41.7%Clinton88,575
47.9%Bush101,906
10.4%Perot22,170
−6.3%
212,651
R
36.2%Dukakis60,266
61.7%Bush102,709
2.1%Paul3,461
−25.5%
166,436
R
33.5%Mondale53,757
64.7%Reagan103,627
1.8%Bergland2,874
−31.1%
160,258
R
41.8%Carter59,442
54.6%Reagan77,617
3.5%Anderson5,015
−12.8%
142,074
D
50.0%Carter66,328
49.4%Ford65,579
0.6%Anderson827
+0.6%
132,734
R
28.4%McGovern32,724
70.1%Nixon80,678
1.4%Schmitz1,625
−41.7%
115,027
R
29.9%Humphrey30,222
46.0%Nixon46,468
24.1%Wallace24,349
−16.1%
101,039
R
37.4%Johnson30,563
62.6%Goldwater51,076
0.0%
−25.1%
81,639
R
39.6%Kennedy22,553
60.4%Nixon34,381
0.0%
−20.8%
56,934
O
31.6%Stevenson12,505
26.3%Eisenhower10,426
42.1%Andrews16,693
Other +10.6
39,624
R
40.0%Stevenson18,021
60.0%Eisenhower26,988
0.0%
−19.9%
45,009
O
20.5%Truman3,721
4.7%Dewey859
74.8%Thurmond13,584
Thurmond +54.3
18,164
D
92.6%Roosevelt12,772
1.6%Dewey217
5.9%Thomas808
+91.0%
13,797
D
97.7%Roosevelt10,071
2.3%Willkie242
0.0%
+95.3%
10,313
D
98.3%Roosevelt13,416
0.0%Landon0
1.7%Lemke228
+98.3%
13,644
D
98.0%Roosevelt8,465
0.0%Hoover0
2.0%Thomas173
+98.0%
8,638
D
92.6%Smith7,814
7.4%Hoover625
0.0%
+85.2%
8,439
D
97.2%Davis6,815
1.6%Coolidge115
1.2%La Follette81
+95.6%
7,011
D
94.5%Cox7,882
5.5%Harding455
0.0%Debs2
+89.1%
8,339
D
93.6%Wilson7,950
4.5%Hughes379
2.0%Benson167
+89.1%
8,496
D
93.7%Wilson5,398
0.0%Taft0
6.3%Roosevelt364
+93.7%
5,762
D
94.6%Bryan8,064
5.1%Taft435
0.3%Debs29
+89.5%
8,528
D
96.6%Parker6,134
3.4%Roosevelt214
0.0%
+93.3%
6,348
D
96.7%Bryan4,596
3.3%McKinley159
0.0%
+93.3%
4,755
D
86.6%Bryan6,107
13.0%McKinley918
0.4%Palmer31
+73.5%
7,056
D
79.7%Cleveland4,223
15.4%Harrison818
4.8%Weaver256
+64.3%
5,297
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1892 to 2024. Most recent: +0.2% in 2024.flipped D · 2008+0.2%DR18922024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1892+64.3%
1896+73.5%
1900+93.3%
1904+93.3%
1908+89.5%
1912+93.7%
1916+89.1%
1920+89.1%
1924+95.6%
1928+85.2%
1932+98.0%
1936+98.3%
1940+95.3%
1944+91.0%
1948+15.8%
1952−19.9%
1956+5.2%
1960−20.8%
1964−25.1%
1968−16.1%
1972−41.7%
1976+0.6%
1980−12.8%
1984−31.1%
1988−25.5%
1992−6.3%
1996−3.7%
2000−10.8%
2004−9.7%
2008+0.9%
2012+1.7%
2016+1.0%
2020+5.5%
2024+0.2%
DemocraticRepublican
voter registration
Registered voters
Total registered voters, over time
Voter registration in Columbia, SCTotal registered voters, 2016–2024. Latest 599,493 in 2024.153.6K307.1K460.7K614.2K599.5K20162024
Registered voters
Voter registration in Columbia, SC
YearTotal registered
2016514,538
2018572,942
2020614,208
2022592,381
2024599,493
Source: U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAVS)

Columbia's Richland County core votes reliably Democratic while the fast-growing Lexington County suburbs have trended competitive, making the metro a reliable bellwether for statewide margin analysis.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 98.3 points in 1936 and a Republican high of 41.7 points in 1972. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved 5.3 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 0.2 points.

A population of 849,181, a 53% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $68,275 describe the metro. The metro's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Greensboro-High Point, NC and Memphis, TN-MS-AR.

Political twins — metros

The metros whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.

Greensboro-High Point, NC
95.9twin score
2016–2024 trajectorypopulation scale
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
94.0twin score
population scale2016–2024 trajectory≠ % Black
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
92.4twin score
% Blackpopulation scale12-yr trend

Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.

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.
Columbia, SC, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/17900/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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Places within Columbia, SC

counties6
Calhoun CountyFairfield CountyKershaw CountyLexington CountyRichland CountySaluda County

Frequently asked questions

How did Columbia, SC, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Columbia, SC, South Carolina voted a near-tie (D+0.2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 390,990 votes cast, 192,821 went Democratic and 191,991 went Republican.
When did Columbia, SC, South Carolina last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Columbia, SC, South Carolina voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in Columbia, SC, South Carolina?
Columbia, SC, South Carolina has a population of 849,181 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Columbia, SC, South Carolina?
Median household income in Columbia, SC, South Carolina is $68,275 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of Columbia, SC, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Columbia, SC, South Carolina from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 20 went Democratic and 12 went Republican.