† 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
GroupBolivarTennesseeUnited States
African American†59.4%14.3%9.9%
African3.7%0.6%0.5%
Irish5.3%9.3%9.4%
American5.2%11.3%5.3%
English5.0%13.3%9.5%
German2.6%9.1%12.5%
Italian0.7%2.2%4.8%
Scottish0.6%2.2%1.3%
French0.3%1.3%1.6%
Scotch-Irish0.3%1.7%—
Mexican2.3%3.8%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.5%0.6%1.8%
Peruvian0.4%——
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
Bolivar
Tennessee
United States
Median age
34.5
39.3
39.1
Age 18–24
10.7%
8.9%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
19.3%
17.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Bolivar
Tennessee
United States
Median household income
$39,028
$69,595
$84,427
Poverty rate
21.7%
13.8%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
15.1%
31.3%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Bolivar
Tennessee
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
0.8%
8.7%
22.3%
Religious landscape
Measure
Bolivar
Tennessee
United States
Catholic
—
4.0%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
36.6%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
44.5%
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.
Bolivar, Tennessee
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+26.6%
2008
+23.6%
2012
+27.9%
2016
+17.8%
2020
+13.6%
2024
+7.0%
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
D
53.0%Harris1,050
46.1%Trump912
0.9%
D+7.0
R+6.6
D+8.4
1,980
D
56.3%Biden1,279
42.7%Trump970
1.0%
D+13.6
R+4.2
D+9.1
2,272
D
58.1%Clinton1,249
40.3%Trump866
1.5%
D+17.8
R+10.1
D+15.7
2,148
D
63.5%Obama1,730
35.6%Romney970
0.9%
D+27.9
D+4.3
D+24.0
2,724
D
61.1%Obama1,640
37.4%McCain1,005
1.5%
D+23.6
R+2.9
D+16.4
2,686
D
62.8%Kerry1,559
36.2%Bush899
1.0%
D+26.6
—
D+29.0
2,483
Bolivar sits in one of Tennessee's most economically distressed counties, where turnout patterns and demographic shifts have made Hardeman a closely watched bellwether for rural west Tennessee's evolving political alignment.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 27.9 points in 2012. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 6.6 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 7.0 points.
A population of 5,144, a 26% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $39,028 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Walterboro and Sandersville.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Bolivar, Tennessee voted Democratic by 7.0 points (D+7.0), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 1,980 votes cast, 1,050 went Democratic and 912 went Republican.
How many people live in Bolivar, Tennessee?
Bolivar, Tennessee has a population of 5,144 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Bolivar, Tennessee?
Median household income in Bolivar, Tennessee is $39,028 — below the national median of $80,734. The Tennessee state median is $69,595.
What is the political history of Bolivar, Tennessee?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Bolivar, Tennessee from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
