Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania: Realigner county. In 2024, voted R+28%. Democratic peak: D+44 in 1964.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+28MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- RealignerAkashic typology
- Population
- 352,5002024 5-year
- Median household income
- $74,1092024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 91.8%2024 5-year
- Black
- 2.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 1.6%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+44 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+39 in 1924MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Orange County, TX · similarity 0.99
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Westmoreland CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Westmoreland County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 74,904 | 135,008 | 212,098 | ||
| R | 72,129 | 130,218 | 204,697 | ||
| R | 59,669 | 116,522 | 183,492 | ||
| R | 63,722 | 103,932 | 169,572 | ||
| R | 72,721 | 102,294 | 176,873 | ||
| R | 77,774 | 100,087 | 178,696 | ||
| R | 71,792 | 80,858 | 156,709 | ||
| D | 63,686 | 62,058 | 143,329 | ||
| D | 69,817 | 47,315 | 154,451 | ||
| D | 76,710 | 61,472 | 139,290 | ||
| D | 79,906 | 71,377 | 152,464 | ||
| D | 68,627 | 63,140 | 140,139 | ||
| D | 74,217 | 59,172 | 136,134 | ||
| R | 59,322 | 75,085 | 137,527 | ||
| D | 81,833 | 52,206 | 148,839 | ||
| D | 107,131 | 41,493 | 149,416 | ||
| D | 85,641 | 68,825 | 154,840 | ||
| D | 72,616 | 66,580 | 139,388 | ||
| D | 80,068 | 58,923 | 139,494 | ||
| D | 61,901 | 41,709 | 106,814 | ||
| D | 61,057 | 43,202 | 104,964 | ||
| D | 64,567 | 42,643 | 107,787 | ||
| D | 73,574 | 36,079 | 111,935 | ||
| D | 45,436 | 30,426 | 80,651 | ||
| R | 30,587 | 51,760 | 83,643 | ||
| R | 10,223 | 34,522 | 62,514 | ||
| R | 12,845 | 27,077 | 45,349 | ||
| R | 13,829 | 15,283 | 32,737 | ||
| O | 9,262 | 4,299 | 29,325 | ||
| R | 11,101 | 15,429 | 29,671 | ||
| R | 8,007 | 17,239 | 27,296 | ||
| R | 11,010 | 16,014 | 28,096 | ||
| R | 11,029 | 14,928 | 26,546 | ||
| R | 10,747 | 10,804 | 22,120 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
27.2%
Italian
17.5%
Irish
16.4%
English
10.1%
Polish
8.6%
American
4.1%
Scottish
2.0%
African American
2.1%
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: 47.2 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
$74,109
Westmoreland County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Westmoreland County$74,109
Pennsylvania$77,971
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
10.3%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1814.1%
Working age (18–64)9.4%
Seniors (65+)9.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
97.2%
speak English only
Other Indo-European1.2%
Spanish0.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.6%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 48.6% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Westmoreland County's shift from its union-heavy, mid-century Democratic base to a consistent Republican margin—28.4 points in 2024—tracks the broader realignment of working-class white voters across the southwestern Pennsylvania coalfields.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Westmoreland County peaked at forty-four points in 1964; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of six points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. The median household income of $74,109 is among the lowest at this geographic scale; 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Orange County and Armstrong County.
Most similar counties
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://akashic.app/county/42129/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in Pennsylvania
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Frequently asked questions
How did Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania vote in 2024?
In 2024, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania voted Republican by 28.3 points (R+28), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 212,098 votes cast, 74,904 went Democratic and 135,008 went Republican.
What is Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania as a "Realigner" county based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 16 times, Republican 17 times, and other 1 times.
When did Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania voted Democratic was 1996.
How many people live in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania?
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania has a population of 352,500 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania?
Median household income in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania is $74,109 — below the national median of $80,734. The Pennsylvania state median is $77,971.
What is the political history of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 16 went Democratic and 17 went Republican. The county's archetype — "Realigner" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.