Pennsylvania 5th Congressional District, Pennsylvania: Urban anchor district. In 2024, voted D+31%. Republican peak: R+67 in 1924.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+31MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Urban anchorAkashic typology
- Population
- 855,7832024 5-year
- Median household income
- $83,6922024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 56.4%2024 5-year
- Black
- 26.0%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 7.9%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+35 in 2020MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+67 in 1924MIT Election Lab
D
SCANLON, Mary Gay
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: THOMPSON, Glenn (2017–2019), THOMPSON, Glenn (2015–2017), THOMPSON, Glenn (2013–2015), THOMPSON, Glenn (2011–2013)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 5, PAOne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 301,148 | 155,604 | 463,207 | ||
| D | 311,428 | 148,311 | 463,711 | ||
| D | 275,890 | 135,690 | 426,411 | ||
| D | 269,643 | 134,796 | 408,443 | ||
| D | 278,913 | 141,672 | 424,239 | ||
| D | 253,123 | 149,260 | 404,253 | ||
| D | 209,506 | 128,748 | 347,726 | ||
| D | 183,414 | 111,877 | 328,166 | ||
| D | 181,404 | 134,973 | 375,920 | ||
| R | 166,883 | 188,904 | 359,361 | ||
| R | 175,774 | 210,537 | 388,728 | ||
| R | 153,514 | 187,344 | 375,428 | ||
| D | 194,595 | 191,920 | 393,577 | ||
| R | 161,290 | 234,755 | 402,358 | ||
| D | 187,912 | 178,383 | 403,274 | ||
| D | 251,073 | 151,470 | 403,743 | ||
| D | 219,101 | 185,622 | 405,471 | ||
| R | 158,075 | 206,287 | 365,130 | ||
| R | 163,454 | 193,285 | 358,068 | ||
| R | 121,486 | 159,360 | 287,519 | ||
| D | 137,855 | 132,664 | 271,731 | ||
| D | 139,276 | 135,214 | 275,707 | ||
| D | 145,748 | 125,981 | 278,191 | ||
| R | 71,589 | 126,440 | 203,170 | ||
| R | 70,309 | 147,716 | 219,067 | ||
| R | 14,774 | 94,378 | 118,836 | ||
| R | 23,219 | 80,050 | 107,971 | ||
| R | 21,535 | 45,299 | 68,376 | ||
| O | 16,185 | 22,102 | 61,225 | ||
| R | 17,200 | 42,816 | 61,703 | ||
| R | 11,176 | 48,726 | 61,308 | ||
| R | 13,230 | 39,646 | 53,705 | ||
| R | 13,815 | 40,248 | 55,275 | ||
| R | 18,405 | 26,767 | 45,955 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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Congressional elections · 17 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 48.6% | 48.8% | 6,963,137 |
| 2022 | D | 51.2% | 46.3% | 5,368,021 |
| 2018 | D | 55.6% | 42.7% | 4,994,643 |
| 2016 | R | 47.3% | 48.8% | 6,051,856 |
| 2012 | D | 53.7% | 44.6% | 5,627,422 |
| 2010 | R | 49.0% | 51.0% | 3,977,661 |
| 2006 | D | 58.6% | 41.3% | 4,081,043 |
| 2004 | R | 42.0% | 52.6% | 5,559,105 |
| 2000 | R | 45.5% | 52.4% | 4,735,116 |
| 1998 | R | 34.8% | 61.3% | 2,957,499 |
| 1994 | R | 46.9% | 49.4% | 3,513,361 |
| 1992 | R | 46.3% | 49.1% | 4,802,410 |
| 1988 | R | 32.4% | 66.5% | 4,366,598 |
| 1986 | R | 42.9% | 56.4% | 3,378,226 |
| 1982 | R | 39.2% | 59.3% | 3,604,108 |
| 1980 | R | 48.0% | 50.5% | 4,418,042 |
| 1976 | R | 46.8% | 52.4% | 4,546,353 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
Irish
18.7%
Italian
12.3%
German
10.9%
English
6.6%
Polish
3.5%
American
2.7%
Scottish
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.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 38.2 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
$83,692
Congressional District 5 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 5$83,692
Pennsylvania$77,971
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
12.9%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1817.1%
Working age (18–64)11.6%
Seniors (65+)13.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
83.5%
speak English only
Spanish5.2%
Other Indo-European5.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander4.4%
Other languages1.9%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 51.6% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
PA-5 covers a dense swath of Philadelphia and its inner suburbs, producing presidential margins that routinely rank among the widest in the state. Its electorate is defined by high urban density, a large college-educated population, and consistent turnout.
The Democratic margin in Pennsylvania 5th Congressional District has been steady. It reached its modern peak at thirty-five points in 2020; the 2024 margin was thirty-one points, still in line with the district's long pattern.
Its political identity is inseparable from its demographic profile: a 56% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $83,692, and the full diversity of a major metropolitan center.
Compare two places, side by side
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Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/4205/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania voted Democratic by 31.4 points (D+31), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 463,207 votes cast, 301,148 went Democratic and 155,604 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania as a "Urban anchor" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 16 times, Republican 17 times, and other 1 times.
When did Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania?
Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania has a population of 855,783 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, Pennsylvania?
Median household income in Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania is $83,692 — above the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.
What is the political history of Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 5, Pennsylvania from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 16 went Democratic and 17 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Urban anchor" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.