akashic
1876–2024
Richland County, South Carolina
Richland County·South Carolina

Richland County has voted Democratic for as long as anyone can remember.

Columbia's home county anchors South Carolina's Democratic vote

18762024·38 elections
Richland County, South Carolina · Billy Hathorn · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
D+35
in 2024
Archetype
Democratic loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
422,117
2024 ACS
Most similar
Dougherty County
GA · similarity 1.00
149 precincts · 182,411 votes cast
Harris · D+35
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024D
+34.6%
121,11058,019182,411
2020D
+38.3%
132,57058,313193,822
2016D
+32.9%
108,00052,469168,722
2012D
+32.0%
103,98953,105159,154
2008D
+28.9%
105,65657,941165,037
2004D
+15.0%
76,28356,212133,801
2000D
+11.2%
63,17950,164116,481
1996D
+13.8%
52,22239,09295,230
1992D
+9.3%
53,64843,744106,250
1988R
−8.9%
36,42043,84183,123
1984R
−17.9%
32,21246,77381,429
1980R
−4.4%
33,15836,33772,869
1976D
+5.9%
36,85532,72769,962
1972R
−29.5%
21,46239,74661,995
1968R
−15.6%
18,19826,21551,445
1964R
−20.7%
17,93927,30645,245
1960R
−27.9%
11,69420,73632,430
1956R
−2.5%
6,1546,71422,384
1952R
−28.3%
8,89015,92524,815
1948D
+19.0%
2,4196709,193
1944D
+91.1%
6,5901407,077
1940D
+93.2%
4,7811674,948
1936D
+97.8%
6,72806,880
1932D
+97.1%
4,37104,500
1928D
+75.3%
3,1584443,602
1924D
+90.1%
2,369882,531
1920D
+78.4%
2,4342952,729
1916D
+76.4%
2,2832922,607
1912D
+88.2%
1,55701,766
1908D
+75.4%
1,7502362,007
1904D
+81.8%
1,2201221,342
1900D
+75.5%
44562507
1896D
+32.1%
9254681,422
1892D
+68.7%
788146934
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
Polish
0.8%
African American
37.9%
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. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
19.8%
Baptist
14.0%
Methodist
6.4%
Catholic & Orthodox
6.4%
Mainline Protestant
5.8%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.3%
Non-Christian
2.0%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 43.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Richland County, seat of the state capital and the University of South Carolina, delivered one of the state's widest presidential margins in 2024, reflecting a heavily urban and college-educated electorate concentrated in Columbia.

The Democratic margin in Richland County reached its widest at ninety-eight points in 1936. The margin in 2024 was thirty-five points — still decisive.

Richland County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $63,784, a 40% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 422,117 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 Dougherty County and Richmond County.