Shawnee County, Kansas: Democratic loyalist county. In 2024, voted a near-tie. Republican peak: R+54 in 1924.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- TiedMIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Democratic loyalistAkashic typology
- Population
- 178,0252024 5-year
- Median household income
- $67,1042024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 74.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 6.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 13.8%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+11 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+54 in 1924MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Lancaster County, NE · similarity 0.76
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Shawnee CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Shawnee County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
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Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 40,308 | 39,901 | 82,350 | ||
| D | 43,015 | 40,443 | 85,657 | ||
| R | 33,926 | 35,934 | 76,766 | ||
| R | 36,975 | 37,782 | 76,508 | ||
| R | 41,235 | 41,476 | 84,177 | ||
| R | 36,264 | 44,188 | 81,577 | ||
| R | 34,818 | 35,894 | 74,373 | ||
| R | 32,803 | 34,845 | 75,663 | ||
| D | 31,972 | 29,344 | 82,284 | ||
| R | 33,940 | 35,489 | 70,197 | ||
| R | 26,338 | 43,465 | 70,589 | ||
| R | 24,852 | 36,290 | 67,776 | ||
| R | 28,578 | 37,101 | 67,370 | ||
| R | 20,383 | 43,727 | 65,506 | ||
| R | 21,735 | 31,140 | 59,850 | ||
| D | 30,626 | 25,736 | 56,625 | ||
| R | 21,799 | 33,803 | 55,749 | ||
| R | 16,298 | 32,647 | 49,075 | ||
| R | 17,651 | 33,201 | 51,067 | ||
| R | 20,346 | 23,673 | 44,808 | ||
| R | 14,678 | 21,396 | 36,247 | ||
| R | 19,375 | 23,882 | 43,454 | ||
| D | 22,942 | 19,785 | 42,889 | ||
| R | 16,471 | 19,847 | 37,141 | ||
| R | 7,433 | 24,723 | 32,336 | ||
| R | 5,099 | 20,132 | 27,878 | ||
| R | 7,217 | 14,814 | 22,349 | ||
| R | 9,468 | 12,634 | 23,014 | ||
| D | 5,094 | 3,592 | 13,141 | ||
| R | 5,585 | 7,554 | 13,421 | ||
| R | 2,441 | 8,409 | 11,491 | ||
| R | 4,875 | 7,667 | 12,719 | ||
| R | 5,536 | 6,958 | 12,614 | ||
| O | 0 | 4,206 | 11,113 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
22.1%
English
18.0%
Irish
11.2%
American
4.6%
Italian
1.9%
Scottish
1.8%
French
1.7%
African American
5.4%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
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: 39.4 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
$67,104
Shawnee County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Shawnee County$67,104
Kansas$74,275
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
12.7%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1815.0%
Working age (18–64)12.1%
Seniors (65+)11.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
92.9%
speak English only
Spanish5.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.8%
Other Indo-European0.7%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 57.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Shawnee County anchors Kansas state government in Topeka and has trended toward battleground status over the past decade, with its 2024 presidential result landing within half a percentage point — a dramatic shift from its reliably Republican past.
The Democratic margin in Shawnee County reached its widest at eleven points in 1912. The margin in 2024 was zero points — still decisive.
Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $67,104, a 75% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 178,025 together describe a community whose political habits are deeply settled. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Lancaster County and Deschutes County.
Most similar counties
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Shawnee County, Kansas — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://akashic.app/county/20177/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More democratic loyalist counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Shawnee County, Kansas vote in 2024?
In 2024, Shawnee County, Kansas voted a near-tie (Tied), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 82,350 votes cast, 40,308 went Democratic and 39,901 went Republican.
What is Shawnee County, Kansas's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Shawnee County, Kansas as a "Democratic loyalist" county based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 6 times, Republican 27 times, and other 1 times.
When did Shawnee County, Kansas last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Shawnee County, Kansas voted Republican was 2016.
How many people live in Shawnee County, Kansas?
Shawnee County, Kansas has a population of 178,025 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Shawnee County, Kansas?
Median household income in Shawnee County, Kansas is $67,104 — below the national median of $80,734. The Kansas state median is $74,275.
What is the political history of Shawnee County, Kansas?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Shawnee County, Kansas from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 27 went Republican. The county's archetype — "Democratic loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.