akashic
1876–2024
Congressional District 1·South Carolina

South Carolina 1st Congressional District votes the way the country votes.

Coastal growth is reshaping a once-dominant Republican stronghold

18762024·38 elections
SC
Latest
R+7
in 2024
Archetype
Bellwether
since the recent cycles
Population
762,344
2024 ACS

South Carolina 1st Congressional District, South Carolina: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted R+7%. Democratic peak: D+95 in 1936.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+7MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
BellwetherAkashic typology
Population
762,3442024 5-year
Median household income
$85,8582024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
65.3%2024 5-year
Black
21.3%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
9.2%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+95 in 1936MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+37 in 1972MIT Election Lab
R
MACE, NancyCongress 119 · Republican

Predecessors: CUNNINGHAM, Joe (2019–2021), SANFORD, Mark (2017–2019), SANFORD, Mark (2015–2017), SANFORD, Mark (2013–2015)

Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).

6 counties · 1 D · 5 R
R+60
D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−7.4%
172,556200,703379,049
R
−1.4%
177,953182,921366,994
R
−6.1%
128,601146,309291,120
R
−8.3%
118,967140,812263,649
R
−3.5%
119,245127,966250,125
R
−14.5%
88,360118,710209,808
R
−13.2%
71,86294,475170,922
R
−9.1%
58,96871,540138,181
R
−10.4%
53,61768,163140,267
R
−24.1%
42,33869,548112,801
R
−31.3%
36,76470,681108,396
R
−12.4%
41,65153,89098,758
D
+4.7%
41,27337,54979,491
R
−37.1%
20,14844,53965,827
R
−3.3%
22,34124,40163,095
R
−32.9%
16,72533,12049,845
R
−20.0%
13,19419,77632,970
O
−10.5%
4,7437,33224,658
R
−29.8%
10,00018,47428,474
O
+13.4%
2,42660813,521
D
+61.4%
5,8339527,946
D
+71.9%
6,9351,1338,068
D
+95.4%
6,99807,335
D
+93.2%
5,70306,122
D
+49.1%
3,9811,3545,350
D
+76.9%
2,8553373,274
D
+75.3%
3,1254363,569
D
+83.9%
2,4442112,661
D
+89.3%
2,22502,491
D
+55.9%
2,7697753,567
D
+63.0%
2,6496013,250
D
+53.1%
2,3157083,024
D
+16.5%
2,2171,5344,128
D
+15.8%
2,5011,8144,346
No data
No data
No data
No data

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
YearWonD %R %Total
2022R37.0%62.9%1,695,702
2020R44.2%54.4%2,515,104
2016R34.4%60.6%2,049,893
2014R36.8%54.3%1,240,075
2010R27.6%61.5%1,318,794
2008R42.2%57.5%1,871,431
2004R44.1%53.7%1,597,221
2002R44.2%54.4%1,102,912
1998D52.7%45.7%1,069,063
1996R44.0%53.4%1,161,231
1992D50.1%46.9%1,180,438
1990R32.5%64.2%750,716
1986D63.1%35.6%737,962
1984R31.8%66.8%965,130
1980D70.4%29.6%870,500
1978R44.3%55.7%632,063

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
13.1%
German
11.0%
Irish
10.6%
American
7.3%
Italian
4.7%
Scottish
1.6%
Polish
1.5%
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.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
90.1%
speak English only
Spanish6.5%
Other Indo-European1.8%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.2%
Other languages0.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
14.1%
Other Christian
10.5%
Baptist
6.6%
Methodist
6.3%
Mainline Protestant
3.4%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.2%
Non-Christian
0.8%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 56.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

South Carolina's 1st stretches along the Atlantic coast from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head, where rapid in-migration has gradually compressed a margin that once ran well above 20 points in presidential contests.

The Democratic margin in South Carolina 1st Congressional District has rarely exceeded ninety-five points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded thirty-seven points. 2024 delivered the district to the Republican candidate by seven points.

Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 65% non-Hispanic-white share, a 11% poverty rate, and a median household income of $85,858 — all within the broad national range.

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 1, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/4501/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Congressional District 1, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 1, South Carolina voted Republican by 7.4 points (R+7), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 379,049 votes cast, 172,556 went Democratic and 200,703 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 1, South Carolina's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 1, South Carolina as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 15 times, Republican 17 times, and other 2 times.
When did Congressional District 1, South Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 1, South Carolina voted Democratic was 1976.
How many people live in Congressional District 1, South Carolina?
Congressional District 1, South Carolina has a population of 762,344 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 1, South Carolina?
Median household income in Congressional District 1, South Carolina is $85,858 — above the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of Congressional District 1, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 1, South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 15 went Democratic and 17 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.