Alabama 5th Congressional District, Alabama: Realigner district. In 2024, voted R+28%. Democratic peak: D+80 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+28MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- RealignerAkashic typology
- Population
- 741,9062024 5-year
- Median household income
- $79,1082024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 69.5%2024 5-year
- Black
- 18.0%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 7.1%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+80 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+51 in 1964MIT Election Lab
R
STRONG, Dale
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: BROOKS, Mo (2021–2023), BROOKS, Mo (2019–2021), BROOKS, Mo (2017–2019), BROOKS, Mo (2015–2017)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 5, ALOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 123,183 | 220,028 | 349,646 | ||
| R | 123,806 | 212,455 | 343,306 | ||
| R | 92,142 | 186,554 | 288,422 | ||
| R | 97,297 | 177,844 | 278,694 | ||
| R | 100,519 | 172,573 | 276,726 | ||
| R | 91,776 | 151,855 | 245,830 | ||
| R | 89,185 | 119,255 | 213,446 | ||
| R | 79,865 | 95,625 | 192,176 | ||
| R | 80,668 | 94,885 | 209,033 | ||
| R | 55,634 | 93,836 | 150,679 | ||
| R | 57,639 | 97,482 | 156,653 | ||
| D | 69,741 | 58,470 | 135,415 | ||
| D | 79,533 | 40,504 | 122,074 | ||
| R | 25,706 | 76,522 | 104,352 | ||
| O | 12,865 | 19,778 | 104,860 | ||
| R | 0 | 29,358 | 57,379 | ||
| D | 31,957 | 14,450 | 46,629 | ||
| D | 30,157 | 9,641 | 40,207 | ||
| D | 26,279 | 6,724 | 33,134 | ||
| O | 0 | 1,963 | 14,129 | ||
| D | 16,628 | 2,566 | 19,285 | ||
| D | 20,126 | 2,357 | 22,568 | ||
| D | 19,889 | 2,172 | 22,173 | ||
| D | 17,121 | 2,473 | 19,766 | ||
| D | 11,257 | 10,966 | 22,197 | ||
| D | 8,873 | 2,315 | 11,827 | ||
| D | 12,513 | 4,034 | 16,712 | ||
| D | 8,514 | 1,421 | 10,179 | ||
| D | 7,127 | 840 | 9,588 | ||
| D | 6,891 | 1,692 | 8,926 | ||
| D | 6,878 | 1,607 | 8,719 | ||
| D | 9,067 | 6,752 | 16,094 | ||
| D | 12,690 | 6,712 | 20,026 | ||
| D | 10,861 | 24 | 20,797 | ||
| D | 8,446 | 5,861 | 14,389 | ||
| D | 8,860 | 6,821 | 16,383 | ||
| D | 8,750 | 6,536 | 17,105 | ||
| D | 10,079 | 6,104 | 16,183 |
Congressional elections · 16 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | R | 30.9% | 66.6% | 1,414,238 |
| 2020 | R | 39.7% | 60.1% | 2,316,445 |
| 2016 | R | 35.9% | 64.0% | 2,087,444 |
| 2014 | R | 0.0% | 97.3% | 818,090 |
| 2010 | R | 34.7% | 65.2% | 1,485,499 |
| 2008 | R | 36.5% | 63.4% | 2,060,191 |
| 2004 | R | 32.4% | 67.5% | 1,839,066 |
| 2002 | R | 39.8% | 58.6% | 1,353,023 |
| 1998 | R | 36.7% | 63.2% | 1,293,405 |
| 1996 | R | 45.5% | 52.5% | 1,499,393 |
| 1992 | D | 64.8% | 33.1% | 1,577,799 |
| 1990 | D | 60.6% | 39.4% | 1,185,154 |
| 1986 | D | 50.3% | 49.7% | 1,211,897 |
| 1984 | D | 62.8% | 36.4% | 1,371,234 |
| 1980 | R | 47.1% | 50.2% | 1,296,757 |
| 1978 | D | 94.0% | 0.0% | 582,005 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
14.5%
American
12.3%
Irish
9.3%
German
8.5%
Scottish
2.2%
Italian
1.9%
French
1.3%
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.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.4 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$79,108
Congressional District 5 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 5$79,108
Alabama$63,999
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
11.3%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1813.9%
Working age (18–64)10.5%
Seniors (65+)11.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
92.8%
speak English only
Spanish4.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.2%
Other Indo-European1.1%
Other languages0.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 37.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Anchored by Huntsville's aerospace and defense economy, Alabama's 5th has trended decisively Republican in presidential contests while its fast-growing tech corridor adds a younger, higher-education demographic layer not typical of neighboring districts.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Alabama 5th Congressional District peaked at eighty points in 1936; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1984 election delivered the district to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twenty-five points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. The median household income of $79,108 is among the lowest at this geographic scale; 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line.
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.
Congressional District 5, Alabama. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/0105/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 5, Alabama vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 5, Alabama voted Republican by 27.7 points (R+28), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 349,646 votes cast, 123,183 went Democratic and 220,028 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 5, Alabama's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 5, Alabama as a "Realigner" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 23 times, Republican 13 times, and other 2 times.
When did Congressional District 5, Alabama last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 5, Alabama voted Democratic was 1980.
How many people live in Congressional District 5, Alabama?
Congressional District 5, Alabama has a population of 741,906 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 5, Alabama?
Median household income in Congressional District 5, Alabama is $79,108 — below the national median of $80,734. The Alabama state median is $63,999.
What is the political history of Congressional District 5, Alabama?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 5, Alabama from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 23 went Democratic and 13 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Realigner" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.