Watauga County, NC

NC · Presidential Elections 1892–2024

D+6.0
2024 Margin
R+2.3%
2020→2024 Swing
D since 2016
Voting Streak
55K
Population

Watauga County, NC (North Carolina) voted D+6.0 for Kamala Harris (Democrat) in the 2024 presidential election, with Harris receiving 17,225 votes (52.05%) to 15,254 (46.09%) for Trump.

This represents a R+2.3% swing toward Republicans compared to 2020. Watauga County is classified as a lean Democratic county. Watauga County has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 2016. The county has a population of approximately 55,123.

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Quick Stats

2024 ResultD+6.0
2020→2024 SwingR+2.3%
Voting StreakD since 2016
Elections on Record34

Demographics

Population55,123
Median Age
31.4(US: 38.7)
College (BA+)
48.1%(US: 35.2%)
Median Income
$51,693(US: $80k)
White (non-Hisp)
88.9%(US: 57.6%)
Hispanic
6.2%(US: 19.1%)
Black
4.0%(US: 12.2%)
Asian
1.4%(US: 5.7%)
Homeownership
62.1%(US: 64.5%)
Poverty Rate
25.4%(US: 12.3%)
Veterans
4.4%(US: 6.2%)
Non-English (CVAP)
3.5%(US: 17.0%)
Source: Census ACS 5-Year (2020-2024)

Community Profile

Religious Composition

Source: Religion Census 2020
Evangelical
25.5%(Above Average)
Mainline Protestant
10.8%(Major Center)
Catholic
3.6%(Below Average)
Black Protestant
1.3%
LDS/Mormon
0.9%

Ancestry Groups

Source: Census ACS

Top reported ancestry groups (compared to national average).

English
20.2%Above Average(2.3x)
German
15.0%(1.2x)
Irish
13.9%(1.5x)
American Heritage
10.1%Above Average(1.9x)
Italian
4.4%
Scotch-Irish
4.0%Major Concentration(5.1x)
+ 3 more reported ancestry groups

Age Distribution

Median:31.4 yrs(US: 38.5)
Under 18
12.1%↓
18-29
31.4%↑
30-44
14.0%↓
45-64
25.3%
65+
17.1%
National average

Employment by Industry

Census ACS
Educational ServicesMajor Specialization
17.5%(2.0x US)
Retail Trade
15.8%(1.5x US)
Professional & Technical
10.3%(0.9x US)
Construction
7.4%
Healthcare & Social Services
5.4%(1.2x US)
Manufacturing
4.5%(0.5x US)
National average

Presidential Elections

Presidential Results

YearDemocratRepublicanMarginSwing
202452.0%(17,225)46.1%(15,254)D+6.0R+2.3
202053.1%(17,122)44.9%(14,451)D+8.3D+6.8
201647.1%(14,138)45.7%(13,697)D+1.5D+4.6
201247.0%(13,002)50.1%(13,861)R+3.1R+7.4
200851.3%(14,558)47.0%(13,344)D+4.3D+10.2
200446.7%(11,232)52.6%(12,659)R+5.9D+7.3
200042.5%(7,959)55.8%(10,438)R+13.2R+8.6
199642.7%(7,349)47.3%(8,146)R+4.6R+6.5
199243.0%(8,262)41.1%(7,899)D+1.9D+19.6
198840.9%(6,048)58.6%(8,662)R+17.7D+11.2

Source: Official state election returns via MIT Election Data + Science Lab

Presidential Margin Trend

Watauga County, NC • 1892–2024

D+R++200-2018921900190819161924193219401948195619641972198019881996200420122020
Democratic margin
Republican margin

Senate Elections

Senate Results

YearDemocratRepublicanMarginSwing
202251.2%(11,677)45.9%(10,455)D+5.4R+0.8
202050.8%(16,193)44.6%(14,216)D+6.2D+7.6
201646.9%(13,837)48.3%(14,259)R+1.4D+0.9
201446.2%(7,831)48.5%(8,232)R+2.4D+11.2
201041.7%(7,007)55.2%(9,279)R+13.5R+19.9
200851.0%(14,253)44.6%(12,462)D+6.4D+11.5
200446.2%(10,987)51.3%(12,207)R+5.1D+9.3
200241.7%(6,561)56.2%(8,832)R+14.4R+14.1
199848.2%(5,909)48.5%(5,953)R+0.4R+0.8
199649.0%(8,858)48.6%(8,785)D+0.4D+4.6

Source: Official state election returns via MIT Election Data + Science Lab

Governor Elections

Governor Results

YearDemocratRepublicanMarginSwing
202458.7%(19,021)36.1%(11,697)D+22.6D+10.6
202055.1%(17,642)43.0%(13,790)D+12.0D+3.4
201652.6%(15,650)43.9%(13,073)D+8.7D+23.3
201240.4%(10,930)55.0%(14,887)R+14.6R+15.0
200848.2%(13,371)47.8%(13,276)D+0.3R+7.0
200452.3%(12,392)44.9%(10,645)D+7.4D+6.5
200048.4%(9,177)47.6%(9,015)D+0.9R+6.5
199651.9%(9,382)44.6%(8,060)D+7.3D+0.2
199251.2%(9,702)44.1%(8,361)D+7.1D+23.5
198841.8%(6,274)58.2%(8,747)R+16.5R+20.2

Source: Official state election returns via MIT Election Data + Science Lab

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