Watauga County, North Carolina
| Kamala Harris ✓Democratic | 52.0% | 17,225 |
|---|---|---|
| Donald TrumpRepublican | 46.1% | 15,254 |
| Jill SteinGreen | 0.6% | 188 |
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +5.4% |
| 1896 | −4.6% |
| 1900 | −21.8% |
| 1904 | −19.0% |
| 1908 | −15.4% |
| 1912 | +23.6% |
| 1916 | −8.5% |
| 1920 | −20.9% |
| 1924 | −6.0% |
| 1928 | −9.9% |
| 1932 | +3.8% |
| 1936 | +6.5% |
| 1940 | −1.7% |
| 1944 | −10.3% |
| 1948 | −6.4% |
| 1952 | −11.4% |
| 1956 | −18.0% |
| 1960 | −18.7% |
| 1964 | +1.2% |
| 1968 | −23.4% |
| 1972 | −26.8% |
| 1976 | −0.4% |
| 1980 | −9.4% |
| 1984 | −28.9% |
| 1988 | −17.7% |
| 1992 | +1.9% |
| 1996 | −4.6% |
| 2000 | −13.2% |
| 2004 | −5.9% |
| 2008 | +4.3% |
| 2012 | −3.1% |
| 2016 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | +8.3% |
| 2024 | +6.0% |
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 40,120 | 12,999 | 14,363 | 12,711 | 47 |
| 2012 | 44,838 | 13,000 | 14,929 | 16,572 | 337 |
| 2016 | 46,349 | 12,649 | 14,309 | 18,908 | 483 |
| 2020 | 45,212 | 12,029 | 13,301 | 19,356 | 526 |
| 2022 | 45,804 | 11,872 | 12,898 | 20,569 | 465 |
| 2024 | 46,601 | 11,546 | 12,863 | 21,632 | 560 |
Home to Appalachian State University, Watauga sits deep in the Blue Ridge yet voted Democratic in 2024 by six points — a margin driven largely by student enrollment in a region where most surrounding counties lean heavily Republican.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 23.6 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 28.9 points in 1984. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 2.3 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 6.0 points.
A population of 55,123, a 89% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $51,693 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Grand County and Montgomery County.
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Watauga County, North Carolina. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/37189/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.