South Carolina 5th Congressional District, South Carolina: Old Confederacy district. In 2024, voted R+21%. Democratic peak: D+99 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+21MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Old ConfederacyAkashic typology
- Population
- 763,4372024 5-year
- Median household income
- $72,4552024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 63.8%2024 5-year
- Black
- 24.7%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 6.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+99 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+42 in 1972MIT Election Lab
R
NORMAN, Ralph
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: MULVANEY, Mick (2017–2019), MULVANEY, Mick (2015–2017), MULVANEY, Mick (2013–2015), MULVANEY, Mick (2011–2013)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 5, SCOne 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 | 145,424 | 222,907 | 373,496 | ||
| R | 152,094 | 209,967 | 367,040 | ||
| R | 120,172 | 173,126 | 305,331 | ||
| R | 126,120 | 155,515 | 285,292 | ||
| R | 121,649 | 147,803 | 272,779 | ||
| R | 88,469 | 128,578 | 219,252 | ||
| R | 76,714 | 105,514 | 185,638 | ||
| R | 71,017 | 72,176 | 154,463 | ||
| R | 69,082 | 74,298 | 164,528 | ||
| R | 53,188 | 80,645 | 134,627 | ||
| R | 50,293 | 82,877 | 133,921 | ||
| D | 64,752 | 55,431 | 122,742 | ||
| D | 69,010 | 46,203 | 115,699 | ||
| R | 28,981 | 71,827 | 101,820 | ||
| O | 30,149 | 35,653 | 105,077 | ||
| R | 39,070 | 41,651 | 80,724 | ||
| D | 41,440 | 25,406 | 66,846 | ||
| D | 29,517 | 12,925 | 53,444 | ||
| D | 37,303 | 26,315 | 63,618 | ||
| O | 7,066 | 753 | 22,834 | ||
| D | 17,694 | 556 | 19,007 | ||
| D | 18,118 | 344 | 18,464 | ||
| D | 20,712 | 0 | 20,938 | ||
| D | 19,951 | 0 | 20,288 | ||
| D | 11,993 | 826 | 12,826 | ||
| D | 8,785 | 126 | 9,031 | ||
| D | 12,759 | 356 | 13,117 | ||
| D | 11,114 | 203 | 11,428 | ||
| D | 10,215 | 0 | 10,527 | ||
| D | 12,026 | 520 | 12,560 | ||
| D | 10,635 | 341 | 10,976 | ||
| D | 8,519 | 441 | 8,961 | ||
| D | 10,421 | 1,032 | 11,488 | ||
| D | 10,740 | 2,838 | 13,810 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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Congressional elections · 16 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| 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
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
11.0%
Irish
9.2%
German
8.9%
American
8.6%
Italian
3.4%
Scottish
2.1%
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.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 40.4 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
$72,455
Congressional District 5 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 5$72,455
South Carolina$69,324
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
12.8%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1817.4%
Working age (18–64)11.4%
Seniors (65+)12.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
92.3%
speak English only
Spanish4.5%
Other Indo-European1.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.0%
Other languages0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 48.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
South Carolina's 5th stretches from the Charlotte suburbs through rural piedmont counties, blending fast-growing exurban communities with longstanding conservative strongholds that have consistently delivered double-digit Republican margins at every level.
The shift began with civil rights. 1984 marked the realignment in South Carolina 5th Congressional District, by a twenty-four points margin. The Republican margin reached its widest at forty-two points in 1972. The 2024 margin was twenty-one points.
The political shift has tracked, in South Carolina 5th Congressional District, the political shift of the South more broadly. A 64% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $72,455, and a 13% poverty rate describe the demographic context.
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, South Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/4505/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 5, South Carolina vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 5, South Carolina voted Republican by 20.7 points (R+21), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 373,496 votes cast, 145,424 went Democratic and 222,907 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 5, South Carolina's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 5, South Carolina as a "Old Confederacy" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 19 times, Republican 13 times, and other 2 times.
When did Congressional District 5, South Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 5, South Carolina voted Democratic was 1980.
How many people live in Congressional District 5, South Carolina?
Congressional District 5, South Carolina has a population of 763,437 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, South Carolina?
Median household income in Congressional District 5, South Carolina is $72,455 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Carolina state median is $69,324.
What is the political history of Congressional District 5, South Carolina?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 5, South Carolina from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 19 went Democratic and 13 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Old Confederacy" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.