† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupSylvaNorth CarolinaUnited States
American16.0%8.3%5.3%
English14.1%12.7%9.5%
Irish8.4%8.4%9.4%
German8.2%9.4%12.5%
Scotch-Irish4.2%1.4%—
Scottish3.2%2.3%1.3%
Italian2.0%3.3%4.8%
French1.3%—1.6%
Mexican10.0%5.6%11.3%
Puerto Rican2.3%1.2%1.8%
Dominican0.8%0.3%0.7%
Cuban0.4%0.3%0.7%
Honduran0.4%0.7%0.3%
Nicaraguan0.4%——
Spaniard0.4%——
Spanish0.4%——
Chamorro0.7%——
Muscogee (Creek)0.5%——
African American†2.6%18.3%9.9%
South African0.3%——
Haitian0.3%—0.3%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Sylva
North Carolina
United States
Median age
31.4
39.5
39.1
Age 18–24
13.9%
9.5%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
14.6%
17.2%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Sylva
North Carolina
United States
Median household income
$44,086
$72,388
$84,427
Poverty rate
19.4%
13.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
30.7%
35.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Sylva
North Carolina
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
10.0%
13.5%
22.3%
Spanish
9.1%
8.7%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Sylva
North Carolina
United States
Catholic
—
8.9%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
26.5%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
48.0%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Sylva, North Carolina
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+3.9%
2008
+13.2%
2012
+10.0%
2016
−3.1%
2020
−2.0%
2024
−5.0%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
46.6%Harris641
51.6%Trump710
1.8%
R+5.0
R+3.0
R+3.5
1,376
R
48.1%Biden645
50.1%Trump672
1.9%
R+2.0
D+1.1
R+6.5
1,342
R
45.5%Clinton519
48.6%Trump554
5.9%
R+3.1
R+13.0
R+5.2
1,140
D
53.9%Obama590
44.0%Romney481
2.1%
D+10.0
R+3.2
D+6.1
1,094
D
55.6%Obama621
42.5%McCain474
1.9%
D+13.2
D+9.3
D+5.9
1,116
D
51.7%Kerry482
47.9%Bush446
0.4%
D+3.9
—
D+6.3
932
Sylva anchors Jackson County in the southern Blue Ridge, where terrain-driven isolation has historically kept voter rolls small and local races decided by thin margins within a few hundred ballots.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 13.2 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 5.0 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 3.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 5.0 points.
A population of 2,646, a 74% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $44,086 describe the city.
In 2024, Sylva, North Carolina voted Republican by 5.0 points (R+5.0), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 1,376 votes cast, 641 went Democratic and 710 went Republican.
When did Sylva, North Carolina last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Sylva, North Carolina voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Sylva, North Carolina?
Sylva, North Carolina has a population of 2,646 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Sylva, North Carolina?
Median household income in Sylva, North Carolina is $44,086 — below the national median of $80,734. The North Carolina state median is $72,388.
What is the political history of Sylva, North Carolina?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Sylva, North Carolina from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 3 went Democratic and 3 went Republican.
